Time For Something Different
by Miss Luna Clipse
Summary: An ancient evil reawakens with a thirst for revenge... and the flesh of children. The Guardians are hopeless and afraid, until The Man In The Moon selects three worthy souls to become new Guardians. But when emotional stress and stubborn indifference gets in the way of their unity, will they manage to stand together in the face of death? Crossover: RotG, Tangled, HTTYD, and Brave.
1. Chapter 1

1. **Jack**

He had to be careful so as not to be seen.

With the stealth of the falling snowflakes around him, he soared above the waking town, the cold wind bearing the weight of his body as he glided over the small houses. The rising sun struggled against the dark clouds that dripped with snow, and with a quick flutter of his hand, he pushed them aside, allowing a small bit of sunlight to break through the clouds and light the neighborhood below, reflecting off of the blanket of snow and making the whole place sparkle.

Silently, he slipped through the gate of the smallest home and sat perched on the highest branch of a little oak tree. Now all he had to do was wait.

A mere moment later, the back door burst open, and a young girl wearing a ratty red jacket came sprinting outside, an enormous grin on her face. Three smaller children followed, their squeals of delight echoing through the chilly Winter air; "Snow! Snow!"

His heart swelled, as it always did when he saw children having fun, as he watched the three smallest siblings begin a playful snowball fight. Meanwhile, the girl in the red jacket was attempting to push a large pile of snow forward to start a snowman. Her face reddened with effort, her breath pluming out in front of her as she pushed and shoved with all her might.

He watched for a moment, giving her a chance to do it herself, before smirking, and with a flick of his staff the pile of snow was moving rapidly forward. The girl gasped, and dashed forward to keep up with it, her fingertips barely touching it. A second later, it came to a complete stop, and she bumped into it. It was now a perfect sphere of snow that went up to her waist.

She giggled with glee. "Hey!" she called to her brothers and sisters, "Look what I did, look what I did!"

Her siblings joined, gasping in awe at the large snowball that would make the perfect base for a snowman. They began on the middle, the four of them together, and within ten minutes they had the most perfect snowman any of them had ever seen.

"I'll-a go gets da cawwot and buttons!" the smallest one exclaimed, a single tooth visible in his otherwise empty gums, and on unsteady legs he toddled unsteadily towards the door of his house.

"You be careful, Todd!" the girl in the red jacket called.

Along the way, the little boy tripped over a stray toy that had been lying on the ground, falling face-first into the snow. After a moment, Todd straightened himself, his mouth full of snow, and he let out muffled giggles, chewing with relish as though he were enjoying something sweet.

This was too much for him, perched in his tree, and he couldn't stop the outburst of laughter from erupting out of his mouth. Right after this, he clapped his hand over his mouth, but it was too late.

The smallest one, Todd, looked up in the direction of the voice, swallowing the last of the snow.

Their eyes locked.

"Hey!" Todd shouted, pointing.

He took this as his cue to leave, and shot into the sky, waving at the little boy and his siblings as he flew higher, losing sight of them as their figures shrunk into dots. It was among the clouds, where he knew no soul could hear, that he allowed himself to throw his head back and laugh into the sky.

It felt so good to be seen.

Down below, the young and poverty-stricken girl wearing the red jacket gazed up at the retreating silhouette, her eyes alight with amazement and gratitude.

With her hands shivering and her nose running and a perfect snowman standing beside her, she spoke in a soft whisper;

"Jack Frost."


	2. Chapter 2

2. "Do not fret friends, for I am here!" Jack called dramatically, grinning and spreading his arms wide as he walked through the doors of Santa's office, "So, what's the problem? I saw the aurora..."

His sentence was cut short when something small and slight slammed against him with the force of a charging bull. He gasped as the air was knocked out of him, and sputtered as a few stray feathers filled his mouth.

"Oh Jack!" a shrill voice exclaimed near his ear, "I'm so happy for you!" The grip around his shoulders tightened until he was blue in the face.

"Tooth!" a gruff voice boomed, although it seemed to conceal laughter, "Let him breathe!"

"Oh, sorry..." The pressure retreated, and Jack gulped in oxygen and rubbed his shoulders. Toothiana stood before him, blushing slightly but beaming nonetheless.

"Does this have to happen _every_ time I see you?" Jack asked weakly, leaning against his staff.

Bunnymund, who was lounging in a chair in the corner, snorted. "I'm just disappointed she didn't squish you to death."

Jack disregarded this comment, and turned back to Toothiana. "So what's going on? The aurora was up, it something wrong?"

"On the contrary," North said, stepping out from behind his desk, "We have _big_ surprise. For _you._"

"A surprise?" Jack repeated, "For me? Listen, guys, you've done enough for me, I don't-"

"TO THE SLEIGH THEN!" North exclaimed excitedly, and made his way past the stuttering Jack to the door, gesturing for the other four to follow, "Sandy! Wake up!"

Sandy jumped, having been dozing in a chair by North's desk. Droopy-eyed and yawning, he gave a dreamy smile and nodded a greeting towards Jack.

"You know, actually mate," Bunnymund said quickly, "Couldn't we take one of my tunnels? It's quite a bit faster, more convenient really..."

"Awww..." Jack taunted with mock concern, "Is the wittle bunny wunny _scared?_"

Bunnymund scowled. "At least I can take the heat of Summer, you oversized popsicle."

Jack opened his mouth to retort, before North cleared his throat impatiently. "We're taking my sleigh," he said sternly, "and that's the last word about it."

Jack sneered as Bunnymund's fur seemed to pale considerably.

* * *

One wild ride later, Jack stepped out of the sleigh with Toothiana's guidance, as his eyes were completely covered by her hands.

"Do I really have to be blindfolded for this?" he asked, though a flicker of excitement sparked in his chest.

"It'll be worth it," Toothiana replied.

He heard the footsteps of North and Bunnymund (Sandy had fallen asleep in the sleigh) and he stumbled forward a few more feet, annoyed with his inability to see, before Toothiana made him stop walking.

Wherever they were, it felt nice, Jack thought, inhaling deeply as a gust of pleasantly cold wind ruffled his hair and cooled his skin. His bare feet were ankle-deep in the softest snow he had ever felt, and he caught the sweet scent of pine in the air.

"Where are we?"

Toothiana uncovered his eyes, and he gasped, his eyes darting about as he tried to take in the entire sight.

"You have no idea how hard it was to find a place that was cold _and _sunny," Toothiana said, satisfied with the amazed expression on his face, "We knew you wouldn't like the dark. The answer seemed so obvious once we finally found it.."

They were on top of a mountain, covered in pine trees and snow that sparkled in the sunlight. A clearing just ahead showed a cozy looking cottage, decorated with blue shutters and enormous windows in the shape of snowflakes. Hardly a bit of the red roof was visible beneath the snow that coated it, and the wooden walls were laced with dainty designs of frost.

"Well, come!" North said, gesturing to the house, "Let's see inside."

Jack had nothing sarcastic or witty to say; His amazement had rendered him speechless.

The floor of the cottage was ice that glimmered in the sunlight that streamed through the thin white curtains on the large windows. The ceiling was covered with glinting icicles, and a white metal table sat in the center of the room, having only a glass bowl of pinecones atop it. A fireplace in the corner held a small yet merrily flickering fire, not quite strong enough to melt the ice around it, but enough to give the whole place a cozy look.

"I designed it," Toothiana admit sheepishly, "furniture and all. I tried to give it the look of the house you once lived in, the one from your memories. But I added a bit of Jack Frost flair. The bedroom is through that door over there, while your office is in the back. You deserve a real home; You've been a Guardian for six months, after all. It's not much, nothing like North's workshop or my tooth palace, but I figured after a bit of renovating, you could really make it your own-"

Her words were cut off and her eyes widened in shock as he took her in a tight hug, to the point where _she _was the one struggling for air.

"Thanks," Jack told her, grinning, and he released her blushing and giggling and fanning herself madly with her hand.

"I knew you would like!" North shouted, beaming and patting Jack on the back.

Bunnymund merely crossed his arms. "I'll just mention that I recommended a cave in Antarctica."

"Oh, come on Bunny," Tooth laughed, "You helped North build the place!"

Bunnymund gave her a furious look, and turned his back, but not before Jack punched him playfully on the shoulder, laughing.

They all jumped when the door burst open, and Sandy came in, flashing shapes above his head so quickly nobody could figure out what he was trying to say.

"Slow down, slow down..." Tooth said soothingly, placing a hand on Sandy's shoulder; His face was very distraught. "Now, in _three images or less_ can you tell me what the matter is?"

Sandy sucked in a deep breath, and a single picture appeared above his head in sand. Three out of the four other guardians gasped.

It was a broomstick.


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N: _Hello! This is Luna, and I am incredibly satisfied with how this story is turning out. I am already near chapter 20, but I plan on posting once or twice a week, if not more. I'd like to keep the suspense. I am even _more _satisfied with the amount of kind words that have been posted or messaged, and the curiosity you all obviously show. I believe that this, after about a year of writing for this site, is the greatest fic I have ever written. I hope you all agree. I look forward to any comments/compliments/criticism/questions that any of you have along the way. Please enjoy! _**

**_-L_**

3. Toothiana, who had been hovering in the air beside Sandy, collapsed, her eyes rolling back into her head and a soft sigh escaping her lips. Bunnymund quickly leaped forward and caught her, though he looked a bit light-headed himself. North's hands flew to his swords, his fists clinging so tightly to them that his knuckles were white. Jack's face, however, was completely puzzled."What?"

"Grab Jack!" North roared, and sprinted out the door.

Before Jack had much of a chance to react, he cried out in alarm as Bunnymund threw him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes with one arm, cradling Toothiana gingerly with the other. He then quickly followed North, Sandy just managing to grab on to one of his legs to keep up.

Jack winced as he was thrown into the sleigh. "Keep him here," Bunnymund ordered Sandy, setting Toothiana down carefully in the front seat, "and keep him _quiet._"

Sandy nodded, and gave Jack an apologetic glance before creating a bit of cloth out of sand and tying it around his mouth. Jack shouted muffled protests through his gag as Sandy tied his hands behind his back, still looking extremely sorry. He then up and left, joining North and Bunnymund and leaving Jack fuming with anger.

With some effort, he rolled himself over so that he could face whatever was happening. He couldn't make out much; Showers of sand and storms of eggs and jets of green shot in every direction through the lightly falling snow. He thought he caught sight of North, in intense combat with somebody, but they were moving so quickly both their bodies were blurs. Jack thought the person was wearing all black, but he couldn't be sure.

A moment later, North came racing up, nursing a wound on his shoulder. Bunnymund came up right behind him. "Get one of your tunnels," North shouted to him, "There's no way we'll get out in time."

Bunnymund nodded, and Jack narrowed his eyes as a blinding portal appeared in the ground.

"Drive!" Bunnymund boomed, lifting Toothiana and taking the passenger seat, placing her, still unconscious, in his lap. North hopped into the driver's seat, and the sleigh lurched forward with a bang, the reindeer obviously desperate to get out of the chaos.

Jack shook his head furiously, shaking off the gag, and shouted, "Sandy!"

North looked back helplessly, but was relieved when Sandy came zooming toward them.

Something followed close behind.

Jack caught a good look of the person before Sandy had landed inside the sleigh and they had all leaped into the tunnel. It was a woman, with rough green skin covered in warts and ratty black hair topped with a pointed hat. Her black robes billowed out behind her as she flew towards them on a... on a what? A branch? A mop? Jack blinked, incredulous.

She was flying on a broomstick.

A screaming cackle pierced his ears, before the world around him vanished and everything went black.

* * *

Jack opened his eyes to find himself back in Santa's office, sitting in the sleigh. He turned just in time to see the tunnel behind them disappear.

"Oi!" North called weakly through the door, "Come and get this back in the stables."

A group of yeti came tromping in, and, once everyone was out of the sleigh, carried it out, gently pulling the panicking reindeer.

Sandy lifted Jack (stumbling beneath his size) and set him down in a chair, removing his handties and gag and peeking up at him with concern.

"It's okay Sandy," Jack told him, grimacing and messaging his wrists, before throwing a dirty look in Bunnymund's direction, "_He _told you to do it. What was that about?"

Bunnymund, who was holding a glass of water and trying to coax a stirring Toothiana to drink, didn't look up when he responded. "You'd get hurt," he muttered, "You're too new to fight Rowena."

"Rowena?" Jack repeated.

"Rowena Samhain*****," Toothiana croaked, placing a hand on Bunnymund's wrist to remove the cup from her mouth, "Ex-Guardian."

"Witch," Bunnymund added through grit teeth, helping her sit up, "We defeated her, centuries ago."

"But she's back." North murmured, "How is she back?" He buried his face in his hands as Sandy bound the wound on his shoulder.

"Who... who exactly is she?" Jack asked nervously.

The four other guardians exchanged looks, but it was Toothiana who spoke up.

"As we said, she was a Guardian," she said, her voice gradually growing steadier, "She was chosen right after Sandy but just before myself. She was the Guardian of Cleverness, as well as the season of falling leaves, what is now called Autumn. We should have known something was wrong when the crops started dying.

"You see, before, crops grew year-round, very convenient for the people. But a few decades after she arrived, they started dying, and didn't grow back until the end of Winter.

"But that's not even the worst part.

"At some point, she developed a fondness for... for... for the flesh of children."

Toothiana buried her face in the fur of Bunnymund's shoulder for a moment, clutching Sandy's hand, who had come to stand beside her, seemingly unable to continue. Jack didn't notice his own hand subconsciously tighten around his staff.

After a moment, Toothiana composed herself, and continued.

"She'd sneak out while we were busy with our own work, and befriend these horrible spirits, which she'd send to towns all over the world to kidnap any children walking in the street at night. She'd take their skin and boil it in this awful cauldron of hers.

"It didn't take long for her evil deeds to show on her face.

"When a Guardian uses their powers for evil," she explained, seeing the confused expression on Jack's face, "Their guilt comes out through their skin. In Rowena's case; Warts. And her skin turned this terrible shade of green. She tried to cover it up with long robes and enormous hats, but we caught on eventually. By then she was far stronger than us, and very clever. She had bewitched a broomstick to fly. She soared out the window before we got a chance to do anything, but before she left, she let out this... this... cackle!"

Toothiana shuddered. "She continued to steal children, in some hidden whereabouts that we couldn't find for years. But the parents grew clever. Before they let their children out at night, they'd throw sheets over their heads, so that they'd resemble Rowena's spirits and thus remain undisturbed. They also cut faces into fruits and vegetables to scare the spirits away. This kept Rowena at bay until we caught up to her.

"We barely escaped with our lives, she was so strong. But we beat her, even though afterward we were all too weak to even walk. The people of the world still follow their traditions today, even though she's long gone. They treat it like a holiday. They dress up as monsters and go door-to-door for treats. I doubt they even remember the origins of it."

She sighed weakly, before taking the cup from Bunnymund's hand and draining it in a single gulp.

Jack looked at the other three, who all had their heads ducked solemnly. "And... now she's back..." Jack said slowly, before standing up determinedly. "I can take her," he said, "We can take her. You're all stronger than you were before. We can defeat her again, for good this time." He scowled. "I am _not _going to let her touch any more of those children."

The four other guardians merely stared glumly at the floor, looking hopeless. Toothiana hid her face in Bunnymund's shoulder once more, while Bunnymund bowed his head. Sandy sank to the ground, looking dim and pale. North ducked his head.

Seeing this, looking helplessly at each hopeless face, Jack sat back down, dropping his staff and burying his face into his hands. Maybe it _was_ hopeless? He had never seen the Guardians act this way before, so _vulnerable _and _afraid._

"Oh, Man in Moon..." North whispered to the ground, "What do we do...?"

He sank to his knees.

They all looked up in shock as a beam of moonlight flooded the room. North gasped, putting a hand up to shield his eyes.

"New Guardian," he murmured.

* * *

**_*Samhain - pronounced _(Sow-inn)**


	4. Chapter 4

4. **Merida**

She raced through the woods, tracking the doe carefully. When she caught it in a vulnerable position, nibbling daintily on some soft blades of grass poking through the snow, she took aim, closing one eye and pulling the arrow back. _It's really beautiful_, she caught herself thinking, _and innocent. Why did it deserve to die, without given reason or warning?_ The arrow she held trembled slightly, and she exhaled sharply, dropping the bow and falling to her knees. The deer's head snapped up, it's ears perked and alert for danger. It looked Merida in the face for a moment, completely unaware of her recent intentions, before moving on out of sight.

She sat there for a moment, cursing her weakness and feeling a single tear trickle down her face. This had been happening far too often lately, and she was getting irritated. She couldn't even kill a deer?

She took no notice of the snow she sat in, which gradually melted when her skin came in contact with it, revealing fully live bobbing dandelions. She lifted her head, looking up into the sky and allowing the moonlight to beam through the gaps in the leaves and wash over her face. "What do ye want?" she whispered.

No answer. The moon just shone it's light down upon the earth, silent and still.

She sighed, picking up her arrow and shuffling to her feet.

She had made some sort of quirky home out of branches in a tree near the stream. It was there that she sat atop the highest branch, leaning back against the trunk and listening to the sound of the stream. Idly, almost subconsciously, she placed her index finger on the tip of one of the bare, frosty branches. _Where is this frost coming from anyways? s_he thought. A full, ripe peach grew right before her eyes, swelling to the size of her palm and practically glowing. Though she had been able to do this for centuries, it never failed to amaze her. She bit into the soft fuzzy flesh of the peach, relishing the juice and the sweetness.

She had found out long ago that she didn't need to eat to survive, as she was already dead; And yet she ate anyways, desperate to preserve some of her past life.

As it always did late at night, her mind drifted to _before, _back when everything was right and she still had a family. She remembered her brothers, how mischievous they were. Her loyal horse, her kind, comedic father, and her wise, stern mother, who had experienced what it was like to be a bear a mere year before Merida died, due to irresponsible confrontations with a crafty witch. Her heart ached so strongly for her mother. She had watched her die at a ripe old age, decades after her own death. Her brothers, already married and with families, clutching her hands as she whispered her last words; "_I love all of my children."_

After her parents had passed, Merida had taken to watching her brothers' lives in the castle; But they, too, eventually grew old and died. She left for isolation then, unable to bear anymore loss. Everybody died eventually, and everybody moved on to an unknown elsewhere.

_So why didn't she?_

Her death hadn't been anything extraordinary; She had fallen from the cliffs that now towered above her, and had landed in the rocky stream that she listened to now. She had been out shooting game with her father when he had become mesmerized by the view, standing right at edge of the cliff, which began to crumble beneath his feet . Merida had barely shoved him out of the way in time, knocking him to the ground and falling herself into the racing rapids below as the edge of the cliff collapsed. He had called her name; She remembered that. He had reached down for her, as though he could catch her falling body with his own desperate will.

She had woken in the muddy shore months later, an unknown force pulling her upward out of the water and holding her there two feet above the ground. She had opened her mouth and gasped in enormous gusts of air, but it had felt _off _somehow, as though breathing wasn't a necessity anymore. The moon was enormous and blinding, and had whispered softly to her; "_Merida DunBroch._"

It hadn't spoken to her since.

She had been horrified when she went back to her home and found that no one could see her. Some nights, when she had crawled, invisible, into her parents bed to lay with them, she'd hear her father grunt in his sleep;

"It should've been me."


	5. Chapter 5

5. **Jack**

"New Guardian?" he repeated, his eyes wide.

"To the platform!" North said urgently, and the group hurried out the door to the tiled floor at the center of North's workshop. They all stood eagerly around an opening on the floor in the middle. The moon moved it's beam upon it and the tiles lowered, allowing an enormous crystal to float upward.

"It's been only six months since we've gotten a new Guardian," Bunnymund said, looking confused, "Why're we getting a new one now?"

"Shh, shh!" North hissed, grinning at the crystal eagerly.

It's surface fogged briefly, before clearing, the fog inside slowly taking the form of a person.

Jack, who was the most recent Guardian and had never seen the choosing of the newest one, leaned forward with interest.

The crystal itself turned a bright shade of green, while the figure inside grew features; Wild curls, a round face, a bow and arrow in her hand.

"Oh, it's a girl!" Toothiana squealed, clasping her hands together in delight.

"Strange," North said slowly, "I have never seen her before."

They all jumped back in surprise as the fog spiraled around within the crystal, before the crystal went a soft orange color and the fog began to form another.

"_Two?"_ Bunnymund breathed, amazed, "_Two _new Guardians?"

The foggy figure was a boy this time, with dark hair and freckles. In his hand he held a paintbrush, and little symbols made of fog seemed to stream from his mouth.

"What does that mean?" Jack asked, gesturing to the symbols.

"I haven't any idea," North replied, turning away,"Now come, we must go fetch the new-"

Everybody gasped as the fog cleared once more and began to reform, the crystal turning sunny yellow. A second woman was made out, with insanely long hair that spiraled around her body and a thin dress that plumed around her.

After this, the crystal went dim, and sank back into the ground.

"Three," Bunnymund gasped.

"I don't recognize any of them," Toothiana said, a confused crease between her eyes.

North stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I suppose we must plan carefully," he said, "in order to get them all here safe. We head out tomorrow!"


	6. Chapter 6

6. **Hiccup**

"Whoa, whoa!" he exclaimed, pulling Toothless' reins and yanking with all his might.

Toothless whined, looking longingly at the towering skyscrapers up ahead.

"I'm sorry buddy," Hiccup mumbled, turning them around, "but it's not a playground. We can't let anybody see you. You're supposed to be extinct now, remember? It's a different time."

They began the two hour journey back to the deserted island Hiccup had been keeping Toothless hidden.

* * *

After that journey, Hiccup dismounted, exhausted, guiding the yawning Night Fury back to the cave they had taken residence in.

Hiccup threw a few logs on the dying fire as Toothless curled up on pile of leaves on the ground and fell soundly asleep. Hiccup leaned back against his dragon's stomach, reaching into the satchel around his waist and removing a paintbrush and a few big leaves he had collected that day. With cans of paint all around him, he began to paint them. It was soothing for him, the soft chestnuts and oranges and yellows of the paints reminding him of his old home, Berk, which had disappeared centuries ago. "You know Toothless," he murmured, beginning an intricate red-orange design on a large oak leaf, "I wonder if I'm the only one. I mean, somebody's making these leaves fall, right?"

Toothless snorted in his sleep, and Hiccup smiled. "I guess I'm just kinda tired of being alone, you know? Of course I have you!" he added quickly when one of Toothless' eyes opened sharply. Hiccup sighed, ducking his head. "It's just... why can't anybody _see _me?"

He looked up at the mouth of the cave, where the skies darkened as the sun set. Moonlight filled the cave with a glistening light. Hiccup stood up, leaving his leaves behind and walking outside, looking up into the sky. "What are you waiting for?"

He didn't know why he was this way. He remembered riding Toothless one rainy morning, a surprise storm having caught them. He remembered dodging lightning, Toothless panting in fear at the booming thunder. One lightning bolt had nearly caught Toothless' tail, and thinking in-the-moment, Hiccup had swerved the dragon to the side, so sharply that his saddle slid sideways, and the lightning hit him instead. He remembered an intense burning in his skin, and the painful sensation of powerful energy coursing through his veins. The saddle loosened, and Hiccup fell. Toothless had gone into a nose dive, but a second too late; Hiccup had already hit the ground, falling in a pile of leaves in a field miles from home.

He remembered suddenly regaining consciousness. It wasn't morning anymore; The stiffness in his bones indicated that he had been out for a very, very long time. He had been lifted into the air, fully facing the sparkling moon, which spoke to him. _"Hiccup Haddock."_

He had gone back home to find himself invisible, except to Toothless, who sensed Hiccup's presence with his keen sense of smell and hearing.

Now, years and years and years later, everybody he had ever known had passed away (_including Astrid,_ he thought with a twinge of pain in his chest) and all the dragons were later slaughtered by frightened newcomers. Hiccup had barely gotten Toothless out in time. Lucky a dragon's lifespan is thousands of years. Otherwise, he would be completely alone.

Now, he stood beneath the moon that had revived him, wondering what the reason for that was, what his purpose was.

He sighed, and turned back to his cave, where his only living friend slept.


	7. Chapter 7

7. **Jack**

He leaned back against the pillows of his new bed in his new room in his new home.

It was odd for him, actually sleeping in a real bed; He hadn't slept beneath a blanket since he was a mortal, and he couldn't even remember most of then. He tossed and turned, unable to shake his nagging thoughts; Rowena was out there somewhere, waiting to snatch away the children he tried so hard to keep happy.

North had sent a few dozen of his yeti to guard the front doors of Jack's cottage, protecting him from anything that might go wrong.

He turned over, restless, and threw back the covers, stepping out of bed and making his way to the small office he now owned. There was a desk against the far wall, with a world map tacked above it and a wheeled chair in front of it. Stacks of papers and journals and a cup full of pencils topped it. A few sets of drawers and bookshelves lined the left wall of the room, while a large and squishy-looking armchair occupied the opposite side.

It was there that Jack sat, once he'd retrieved a notebook off the top of his desk. Only one page had any writing in it, the first one, which he had written in that evening. It was reminders and notes for who he had to find the following day.

_Woman, Eighteen or so, noticeably long blonde hair, To be found somewhere around Central Europe where her home once stood_

He snapped the book shut and left it in his lap, leaning back and closing his eyes. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. That afternoon, after viewing the new guardians in the crystal, North had instructed them that the following day would be spent fetching the new guardians and bringing them back to his workshop, where explanations would be given. The day after that would be spent training the new Guardians, teaching them battle strategies and warning them of Rowena's strength. Bunnymund would be training the wild-haired girl, Toothiana would be training the boy, and Sandy would be assigned to the long haired girl, but seeing as he was always falling asleep at unpredictable times, Jack was made his helper.

His mind raced with what he was going to tell this new Guardian. It was strange to think that at that exact moment, as he lay there on the brink of sleep, laying curled up in an armchair in his new home, that he knew exactly who and what he was. While this new Guardian that he was supposed to collect in the morning probably had no idea why she was a spirit, or what her purpose was now, or why the moon had chosen her.

He found himself feeling excited to help this new stranger as the last of his thoughts vanished and he drifted to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**A.N: _Okay, okay, I have no self control. I know I said I'd post only once a week, but I just could not let myself post one person's intro and not the rest. I feel like you need to learn about all of them at the same time to fully appreciate the story. I'll attempt to do better with the posting times, and I love all the positive feedback I've been receiving. I have such high hopes for this story, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. If I don't break, the next chapter should be posted next week, but I can't make any promises; I just might post it all in one hour, I can't help myself._**

_**-L**_

8.** Rapunzel**

She placed the last petal into the newly finished crown, placing it beside a tree and waiting. As expected, a small girl came toddling forward, finding the flower crown and crying out; "Molly! There's another one here!"

An older girl, a teenager, came running up, her hands already full of assorted flower crowns. "Wow!" she said breathlessly, clutching a stitch in her side, "Who do you suppose is leaving these?"

"Me! I am!" Rapunzel laughed, placing a flower crown on her own head and giggling, "I'm so glad you like them."

But of course they didn't hear her; She didn't expect them to.

"Let's go look for more!" the little girl exclaimed, running off. Her older sister followed. "Wait!" she called after her sister, "The sun is setting, we need to get home."

"I guess I do too," Rapunzel said to herself, and sprinted, barefoot as she always was, to the valley she had taken residence in. A single tree, fifty feet high, sat smack-dab in the center of the field, and it was that tree that she climbed to the home she had built, one that was made of rose petals and wildflowers and which hung from the tallest branch like a hammock, just big enough for her to curl up inside.

She did this now, tucking her knees under her chin and smoothing he long dress over herself like a blanket, as this time of year was a bit chilly. She looked through the small opening she had left on the side of the dangling flower house, watching the sun set. With a flick of her wrist, she closed all the tulips that coated the field.

"Goodnight guys," she whispered to them, and looked back up at the moon, thinking of the first day she had laid her eyes upon it. She had woken up in this very field, only there had been a castle here instead of an empty valley; It had been torn down in 1982.

She remembered the moon whispering to her: _"Rapunzel Corona" _and she remembered walking towards that castle, flowers blooming with every step she took. She remembered banging on the doors for hours, pleading for help, for some answers as to where she was. She didn't know at the time that she was invisible. After this, she had peered through the window.

There was a bedroom, with golden banners decorating the walls, all with the same sun marking on it. There was a bed too, framed with beautiful canopies and covered in dainty pillows. A man sat on the edge of that bed, hunched over, clutching the blanket in his fists and burying his face into it, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

It looked like he had lost somebody he had once loved dearly.

She had turned away from the window then and had found the tree which she laid in now, figuring the moon would speak to her again soon.

It never did.

Now, she gazed up at that moon, wondering, waiting... her eyelids getting heavy as she drifted... watching a bird flutter by... an owl hooted somewhere close... She heard a car horn honk in the city nearby... She shivered; She was suddenly freezing... The leaves rustled in the sudden strong wind... Was that snow?... The flowers bobbed... A boy flew about nearby...

Her eyes snapped open.

She sat up, leaning forward to get a better look. There was a boy, silhouetted against the moon. _Flying._

She climbed out of her small home, stealthily climbing down the tree and landing silently in the flowers below. She dug around in the soil for a moment by the base of the tree, before uncovering the frying pan that she had found shortly after her arrival to the world. It made a surprisingly good weapon.

Meanwhile, the boy landed a few feet away, and she got a good look at him in the beaming moonlight.

He was pale, very pale, with snowy white hair and startlingly blue eyes. He wore a blue coat with the hood up over his head, and brown pants. In his hand, he held a staff taller than himself. Everything on him, his clothes, his staff, and his skin, was laced with frost. He wore no shoes.

Even though she knew he wouldn't be able to see her, she instinctively backed up into the shadows of the branches, holding the pan at the ready in case he got too close.

He began to search for something, flying about. At one point, he flew right above her, and when she dared herself to come out of the shadows and look up, she saw that he was closely examining her flower home. From the look on his face, this seemed to be part of what he was searching for.

"Hello?" he called, scanning the area behind the tree, "Who built this?"

She backed away again, but the silent air echoed with the sound of a snapping twig, and she winced, lifting her foot.

But he had already heard it.

His head snapped up, and he turned around, looking down and straight at her. She gasped, dropping her frying pan and sprinting to the base of the tree, pressing her back against the trunk.

"Hey!" he called, landing on the ground in front of her, "Hey, it's okay. I won't hurt you."

She swallowed, staring at him with fear in her eyes. "How..." she said in a cracked whisper, "How can you see me?"

His face broke into a smile, and he stepped forward, holding out his hand to her. "I'm a Guardian," he told her, and his eyes flickered with pride as he said this, "I'm here to take you back to Santa's workshop."

"Santa?" she said, her eyes shining, "I saw him once before, while I was in the town. He was on a roof. He winked at me. He could _see _me."

The boy chuckled, his hand still outstretched and inviting. "Back at the workshop, we can all see you," he told her, "Just trust me."

She stared at him for a moment, trying to decide whether to take that hand or not.

After a moment, she stepped forward into the moonlight, reaching out.

He suddenly withdrew his hand quickly, staring, looking confused. "Your hair."

She cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?" She rubbed her short brown hair in between her thumb and forefinger, "What's wrong with it?"

"The crystal showed it as long and blonde," he said, shrugging,"Weird. We'll talk to North about it. Come on."

He held out his hand once more.

She took it, and jumped when he gasped, and he withdrew his hand again, faster than before. He clutched his chest for a moment, staring down at himself in shock.

"What?!" Rapunzel asked, frightened, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

He looked up at her with wide eyes, breathing sharply. "No," he said, calming down, and the smile was back, "No, just surprised. I overreacted a little, but that was so _strange_."

"What happened?" she asked curiously.

He blinked the last of the alarm out of his eyes. "Nothing, I just felt... warm." He shrugged again.

"Oh," Rapunzel mumbled, ducking her head, "Sorry."

"It's nothing," he told her earnestly.

She was still concerned. "I'll just hold on to the end of your branch thingie, okay? I don't want to risk anything bad happening to you when I first meet you."

He nodded, laughing, and once she had a good grip, he summoned his gusts of winds and they took off.

Rapunzel gasped in amazement as they flew over the sleeping town she had lived beside for so long. She looked over at him, grinning broadly, and was surprised to find him already smiling at her. "Pretty amazing, huh?" he called to her over the loud wind.

"Yes," she replied through chattering teeth, watching the intricate snowflakes spiral around her with glee.

"Just wait until you meet Tooth," he said, "I think you're gonna love her."

Rapunzel smiled at the thought. The thought of being _seen._

"Say," she called to him after a few minutes, "What's your name?"

"Jack," he replied, "Jack Frost. What's yours?"

"Rapunzel."


	9. Chapter 9

9. **Hiccup**

He woke with a start to the sound of Toothless growling ferociously.

"Wha...?" he mumbled groggily, sitting up and rubbing his eyes, "What is it Toothless-?" He stopped talking at the strange sight before him. There, laying limp at the mouth of the cave, was a creature, looking ill and exhausted.

"It looks like a bird," he murmured, "I wonder what happened to it... Will you _stop_?" He looked up at Toothless, who was practically roaring at the small helpless animal.

Toothless looked at him incredulously, but stopped growling.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Hiccup said, picking up the creature with both of his hands and watching it whimper in his palms, "Are you okay, little guy?" He couldn't find any injuries, but was amazed at its beautiful feathers of green and purple and blue.

His mouth dropped when over two dozen more swarmed into the cave. The one in his hand leaped into the air, it's wings fluttering as fast as a hummingbird's, before it gave him a grin. It wasn't hurt at all.

Before he had a chance to react, something powdery gold was thrown into his face, and he collapsed.

* * *

**Merida**

A loud sound woke her up, and she sat up abruptly, gripping her bow. The moon was still shining.

"Who's there?" she called, suddenly afraid. She gasped when a sound, softer than a child's cooing, met her ears for the second time.

She knew that sound.

"Wisps." she whispered, and darted forward.

There they were, appearing one after another in a trail, flowy and transparent blue. She hadn't seen one since she was a mortal.

She sprinted as fast as she could, until the last one disappeared and she found herself in a clearing, far from her stream. She looked around cautiously, reaching into her sheath for an arrow when she heard the sound of crackling leaves. Her head went back and forth rapidly as the crackling grew louder, and something incredibly large came into view. From her where she stood, it looked like a bear. Without a second thought, she let her arrow go, and with a blurred motion the creature tried to dodge it, but not quick enough.

"Gah!" it exclaimed, stepping out of the trees into the clearing and gripping it's ear, where an arrow stuck out.

Merida stared, awestruck. "A kangaroo?"

The creature winced as it pulled the arrow out of it's ear. "I. Am. A. _Bunny._" he groaned, "Crikey, I wouldn't be surprised if Jack payed ya to say that."

Merida raised another arrow. "Who are you?" she asked, trying to keep her shaking voice tough and intimidating, "How can ye see me?"

He reached into a small satchel around his waist and pulled out a bit of cloth, which he bandaged his ear with. "I'm a Guardian," he told her, "And I need to bring ya back to North's workshop. Are you the red-head who once lived in DunBroch?"

"Aye," she replied, though she didn't lower her arrow, "What do they need me up there for?"

The creature grinned. "I'll explain once we get there," he said, reaching into the satchel once more, "I apologize in advance for this."

She shouted in protest as he lifted her up with firm hands placed her in a large cotton sack.


	10. Chapter 10

10.** Jack**

He and Rapunzel arrived just in time to find Toothiana scolding her mini fairies.

"It was very inconsiderate of you," she said sternly, as they all stared back wide-eyed, "Did you even _ask_ Sandy if you could use some of his sand? You didn't have to knock the poor boy out! I instructed you to carry him here. _Conscious._" The mini fairies bowed their heads, their eyes growing even larger, looking so adorable it was almost painful. Toothiana sighed, and gestured for them to come and hug her. They did so gladly. "I just cannot stay mad at you!"

A moment later, a tunnel opened up in the corner, and Bunnymund burst through, clutching a wriggling bag. "She's a feisty one," he panted, setting the sack down. The girl inside struggled for a moment longer, before finding the opening of the bag and bursting out, holding her bow tightly.

"Where is that rabbit?" she shouted angrily, "When I'm through with him, he'll be sorry-"

"She shot me in the ear!" Bunnymund exclaimed, "Look at it! A poor bunny rabbit's ear! _She's _the one who should be sorry."

North cleared his throat irritably, and the two stopped bickering, looking up.

He gave a jolly grin, and spread his arms wide. "New Guardians!" he boomed, his eyes twinkling, "I welcome you. Rapunzel Corona, Merida DunBroch, and- er- Hiccup Haddock, who is not available right now." He threw a dirty look at the mini fairies, all of whom whizzed behind Toothiana, hiding sheepishly. "Anyway, Man in Moon chose you to help protect the world of children! You should feel great pride!"

Merida looked shocked, lowering her bow and arrow. "I'm a Guardian?" she breathed.

North nodded, and she threw an apologetic look at Bunnymund, who crossed his arms and huffed stubbornly, his injured ear twitching.

"Now, there is quite a bit of explaining to do," he said, his face taking on a grave expression, "An old evil has reawakened with vengeance. Trainers," He looked at Toothiana, Bunnymund, and Sandy, "I need you to take your assigned guardian to your homes and give food, a place to sleep, and explanations."

Everybody nodded, and Toothiana dashed out of the office, coming back a moment later carrying an unconscious Hiccup Haddock. "He's light as a feather," she laughed, and darted out of the room.

Sandy whistled, and Jack and Rapunzel turned to see him sitting in a little hot air balloon made entirely out of sand. Jack grinned, and turned to Rapunzel. "Come on!"

* * *

"Why didn't we go to your island, Sandy?" Jack asked as the hot air balloon landed on top of his mountain, but he turned to find Sandy fast asleep. Rolling his eyes, he handed his staff to Rapunzel and picked up the snoozing Sandman. "We'd probably fall asleep the second we got their anyway. The place is full of sleeping sand."

Holding Sandy, he managed to kick open the front door and walk through the main room to his bedroom, setting Sandy in his own bed so he wouldn't get too cold. "I would've given you the bed," Jack told Rapunzel, tucking the covers up to Sandy's chin, "But I thought it'd be too chilly. Sandy can sleep through blizzards if he wants to. I'll make you a pallet by the fire after you eat."

Rapunzel smiled, touched, and handed him back his staff. "Thanks Jack."

He smiled back, and as he was turning his back to lead her back to the main room, he was startled to feel the same warmth he had felt when she had touched his hand, only this time in his cheeks. Upon passing the mirror by his bedroom door, he saw that his usually pale face was a slight shade of pink just below his eyes. He cleared his throat.

He gestured for her to wait in the main room, before going through the cabinets in his office for some blankets. He grabbed a bit of fruit as he left.

"Here," he said, tossing her an apple, which she caught. He set the rest of the fruit down on the table beside the pinecones, before getting to work on laying blankets down on the ground in front of the fireplace.

"You know what I've always wondered?" Rapunzel said, biting into her apple before examining it curiously, "Fruit comes from blossoms, which I create. Which means that _somebody_ out there has been changing my flowers into fruit." She sighed, taking another bite. "I wish I could meet them."

Jack looked at her, unsure what to say. "You've, uh..." he began, "You've been alone for a pretty long time, huh?"

She nodded, biting her lip and attempting to hold down the tears that threatened her eyes.

Jack nodded too. "I know it's really hard," he told her, "But you're not alone anymore. You have all of us. Those other two new guardians, they're just as clueless as you. And me, well..." He ducked his head, giving her a half smile, "I only just found out who I was before all this a few months ago. It was really hard before I found out, but I got through it-"

"Before all what?" Rapunzel asked suddenly, disregarding the second sentence he spoke and looking up from her apple.

Jack blinked. "Before, you know, before _this,_" he gestured to himself, "Before becoming a spirit. Before being chosen by Manny. Before dying."

"I never _died!"_ Rapunzel insisted, "What are you talking about?"

Realization hit Jack like a slap in the face. "You really don't know," he said, "You're just like me."

"Don't know what?" Rapunzel asked, dropping her apple as fear clouded her eyes.

He grabbed his staff, and opened the front door.

"I think we need to pay a visit to The Tooth Fairy."


	11. Chapter 11

11.** Hiccup**

He groaned and stirred, sitting up and looking around, royal blue covers falling off of him.

His heart sped in fear when he realized he had no idea where he was.

"Uh... Toothless?" he called softly.

Something darted through the open doorway of the room he sat in. He cried out in fear when he saw that it was one of the creatures that had knocked him out back at the cave. It was the same one that had pretended to be hurt. It squeaked and tittered cheerfully at him.

"Where- Where is my dragon?" he said to it, raising his voice, "What have you done with Toothless?"

The creature, which up close almost looked like a human baby only with a hummingbird's beak, merely let out a squeaky giggle, and flew out.

Hiccup's breathing was growing quicker as he panicked, afraid that somebody was going to knock him out again... or stab him to death with weird pointy little bird beaks.

A mere moment later, somebody else fluttered in.

She looked like a bigger version of the bird-like creatures, only more human-like. She had rose cheeks and gleaming eyes and radiant feathers of violet and green and royal blue covering her entire body, besides her face.

"Oh, you're awake!" she exclaimed in a sing-song voice, and she darted over to him.

He cried out in surprise and, though he was completely dressed, pulled the covers up to his chin. "Who are you?" he asked, leaning as far away from her as he could, "I'll- I'll just warn you that I am a very strong and f-feared Viking, so one wrong move will result in, uh, in serious consequences."

The woman laughed lightly and tugged at his arm. "Come on, come on!" she insisted, and half-dragged him out of bed, "I have so much to show you!"

"Show me?" he repeated, stumbling over his false leg. Images of a whole family of psycho bird people filled his mind, and he shuddered. "Where is my dragon?"

"Still at the cave," she responded, making him walk faster still, "Some of North's yeti will be picking him up in the morning. He told me you're a dragon whisperer, I'm so impressed! I was wondering what those weird symbols in the crystal meant..."

He blinked, having no idea about half of the things she was talking about.

She stopped suddenly, and he bumped into her.

"Oh!" she said, turning to face him, "I forgot!"

He cringed as she pounced forward, but his eyes widened in shock when she pulled his lips apart with her fingers and began examining the inside of his mouth eagerly.

"Uh..." he said, his words unclear as his mouth was wide open, "Wha' a' 'oo _doin'?_

"These are beautiful!" she squealed, "Most Vikings don't seem to know the word _hygiene, _but _these..." _She let go of his lips, allowing his mouth to snap shut, and he rubbed his jaw. "Why am I here?" he asked after a moment, now serious.

She smiled. "I completely forgot, you were out when North explained. You're a Guardian!" She made a firework motion with her hands and gave him an enormous smile. "Yay!"

Hiccup blinked. "I'm a Guardian?" He shook his head, disbelief marking his features, "No, no, there must be some kind of mistake, I don't-"

Suddenly, two enormous blue doors to their left burst open, cutting his words off. A pale boy with white hair stood in the doorway, a brunette girl beside him.

"Tooth, we need you to get something out of the gallery."


	12. Chapter 12

12. **Rapunzel**

"This is them," Toothiana murmured, and Rapunzel held her breath as she took the small cylinder case that held all her baby teeth from when she was... _alive._

She looked at Jack, who gazed solemnly back at her, before he gave a single nod and backed away, giving her space. In the corner stood a young boy, the one who had been unconscious earlier that evening, watching her curiously.

Rapunzel looked back down at the case, biting her lip. On one end, a little painting of a girl with bright green eyes and long blonde hair smiled back at her.

She was holding her past, her life, her answers.

Tentatively, she closed her eyes, and gasped when the memories began to flow.

* * *

"_The outside world is a dan_g_erous place, full of cruel, selfish people. Do you understand, my Flower?" _"_Yes Mommy."_

"_Don't ever ask to leave this tower _again._" _"_Yes Mother."_

"_I want to see the floating lights!"_

"_I have a _person_ in my_ closet!"

"_Look, the only thing I want to do with your hair is get out of it; Literally!"_

"_Something brought you here 'Flynn Rider.' Call it what you will; Fate, destiny..." _"_A horse."_

"_I have a deal for you..."_

"_I'm so glad I left my tower!"_

"_My real name is Eugene Fitzherbert." _"_I have magic hair that glows when I sing."_

"This _is why he's here! Don't let him deceive you!_"

"_I've been looking out of a window for eighteen years, _dreaming_ about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?" _"_It will be."_

"_I am the lost princess."_

_Flower, gleam and glow..._

"_Did I mumble, mother?"_

_Let your powers shine..._

_"You were wrong about the world."_

_Make the clock reverse..._

_"And you were wrong about me!"_

_Bring back what once was mine..._

_"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!"_

_Heal what has been hurt..._

"_You were my new dream..." _

_Change the fate's design..._

_"And you were mine."_

_Save what has been lost..._

"_And we're living happily ever after."_

_Bring back what once was mine..._

"_Yes we are."_

_What once was mine..._

_..._

"_Rapunzel, run back to the castle!"_

"_What?"_

"_They're back! They broke out, and they want to kill me! Get back into town, I'll distract them."_

"_I'm not leaving you."_

"_Rapunzel, go!"_

"_No!"_

"_Rapunzel!"_

"_Eugene... My chest hurts. I can't breathe. Are they gone?"_

"_They're gone. You knocked them out. You'll be okay, just breathe, you're gonna make it."_

"_My dress... Is that blood?"_

"_It's just... it's just a l-little cut, Rapunzel, you'll be alright, just hold on..."_

"_You're crying."_

"_I'm not. Hang in there Rapunzel, please, we're nearly there."_

"_Rapunzel."_

"_Rapunzel?"_

"_Rapunzel!"_

_What once was mine..._

* * *

She gasped, throwing the cylinder away from her, where it split in two, and her baby teeth scattered all over the floor.

She couldn't breathe; Her insides were burning. "They killed me..." she choked, "They tried to kill him, but I pushed them away, I hit them with a pan, and they..."

She collapsed to her knees, cupping her face with her hands.

That man crying in that bedroom so many years ago; That had been her husband.

She fell sideways onto her hands, he legs curled, and allowed the tears to stream onto the floor from her tightly closed eyes, her cries wracking through her body like earthquakes. She wanted to scream. She bit her knuckle, trying not to.

A pair of arms wrapped around her, and though they were chilly to the touch, they seemed to warm her.

She buried her face into Jack's chest, soaking his coat with saltwater, but he showed no sign of minding. She felt a third hand on her shoulder, and two more gently smoothing her hair back from her tear-soaked face.

"They're gone..." she choked into his chest, "They're all gone."


	13. Chapter 13

13. **Jack**

He looked up at Toothiana, who was brushing Rapunzel's hair back with her hands soothingly, seemingly unsure what else to do. After a moment, she bowed her head and stood, and got to work collecting Rapunzel's scattered teeth. The boy, Hiccup, who had kindly placed his hand uncertainly on Rapunzel's shoulder in the effort to help, turned to help Toothiana.

Jack was better at comforting children, but he did what he could for Rapunzel. He hugged her, prepared for her to cry for hours if she needed to. He put his mouth to her ear and repeated over and over again for her to breathe; He was worried she was going to hyperventilate herself into a coma. After awhile, she did breathe slower, at first her breaths coming out in short, strangled gasps, but after awhile, her breathing gradually deepened, and her eyes seemed to be completely drained of tears. A few minutes of silence followed before she shifted, leaning back to look at him. All the glee and child-like fun had left her somber green eyes.

"I'm- I'm sorry..." she mumbled, running her fingers through her dark chestnut hair and sighing, looking embarrassed, "I know I'm overreacting, I'm so sorry..."

"No, sweetie, that's not over-reacting," Toothiana told her earnestly, and Hiccup nodded.

"No, not at all," Jack agreed, "When I saw my memories, it felt like being torn in half. I- I had a mother, and friends, and a sister..."

"Did you ever...?" She cleared her throat, looking more embarrassed still, "Were you ever, you know? Did you _love _somebody? As in, _in _love?" She looked at him curiously.

"Um..." This thought was foreign in his mind. It was something that never really occurred to him, and never really mattered. Then again, maybe in his past life? "I, uh, I actually don't know. I haven't really seen _all _of my memories yet." He turned to Toothiana, who was standing awkwardly in the corner. "Tooth...?"

"I'll go get your teeth," she said, and turned, before pausing. "Well actually..." She turned to Hiccup. "I suppose it would be good if you learned your way around," she said thoughtfully, and handed him an enormous map that trailed to the floor, "Go to the end of the 1700's row, you'll find a case with a picture of a boy that looks just like him" She gestured to Jack "Only with brown hair and brown eyes."

Hiccup's eyes widened as he held the map. "Um... yeah. Sure, okay,"

Toothiana smiled and turned back to Jack and Rapunzel. "This is Hiccup by the way. My apprentice." She said this with obvious pride.

"Hi Hiccup," Rapunzel said, sniffling but brightening up a bit, "I really like your name."

"Thanks, I likes yours too," he said with a weak smile, before looking back at the map with wide eyes. a bit shocked at the enormity of it. "Okay, let's see how quickly I can screw this up..." he muttered, before he headed into the labyrinth of shelves, looking cautious and weary. There was a crashing noise seconds later, the sound of falling objects, and Hiccup's calls, "Ignore that, ignore that, I got it!"

Toothiana's hand hit her forehead.

Several minutes later, he came back, panting and clutching the case. "Here," he said breathlessly to Jack, handing it to him, "You have no idea what I just had to go through to get this."

"Thanks Hiccup," he replied, trying not to laugh, "I'm Jack, by the way."

Hiccup smiled, still looking winded from his short yet difficult trip, "Nice to meet you. Um, excuse me, I think I might have broke my, uh... everything." He walked away, wincing as he did so.

Jack grinned, before his face fell slightly when he noticed, as Hiccup retreated down the hall, that one of his legs seemed to be missing, replaced by a metal artificial peg that clanked with every other step.

"How, um...?" He looked inquisitively at Toothiana, who told him simply; "It's a long story."

"Alright," he said, his face suddenly serious as he gripped the case full of his own teeth. He found himself feeling giddy about seeing more of his life. "I guess I should see about these memories..."

* * *

"_Hey Jack?" _

"_Yeah Elizabeth?"_

"_So... I was wondering if, perhaps, you might want to go ice skating with me this afternoon? I've seen how good you are, and I thought that maybe you could teach me."_

"_Yeah, of course. But I have to go pick up my sister and a few of her friends, do you mind if they tag along?"_

"_Oh... oh okay, well sure."_

* * *

"_Er... Jack?"_

"_Hi Bernadette. Did you enjoy the show?"_

"_Oh, yes, it was very funny. You had all those children collapsing with laughter. You're an amazing storyteller."_

"_Thanks."_

"_So, the reason I came over here is that I was hoping... you'd like to come see my sister's performance tomorrow night? She's going to be in this dramatic play, it should be really sweet..."_

"_That sounds really great, Bernadette, but I have another story tomorrow. Those kids, they're relying on me, you know? A lot of them still have that Winter flu, I want to make them laugh. Tell your sister I'm sorry, and that I wish her luck."_

"_Right. Of- of course, Jack, I will."_

* * *

"_I don't understand why you're so angry at me!"_

"_Jack, how can you not see why I'm angry?"_

"_I just don't, Lucy."_

"_It's just so painfully obvious that... that I like you, okay? But you're never around, you're always with the village children, telling stories and climbing trees. You're seventeen! When will you grow up?"_

"_I am grown up!"_

"_Then act like it!"_

* * *

"Yeah, nope,"

Jack tossed the case to Toothiana, who gave him a knowing, sympathetic smile.

"What did you see?" Rapunzel asked, before her mouth opened wide in a tired yawn.

"Nothing important," he told her quickly, changing the subject, "Come on, let's get you to sleep. Tomorrow you start training."

"Training?" she repeated, rubbing her eyes.

He realized that through all the excitement, he hadn't even brought up Rowena. "I'll explain on the way," he said, opening the front door, "Thanks Tooth, for everything." He raised his voice slightly; "Thanks Hiccup! See you tomorrow!"

And he guided Rapunzel outside.

* * *

"Rowena Samhain, huh?" Rapunzel murmured, the fire flickering shadows across her skin as she sat in front of it, holding her knees up to her chin.

He nodded, mesmerized with the way the shadows danced across her face from where he sat criss-crossed beside her homemade pallet. Fire had always been interesting to him, though he wasn't fond of it up close.

She stretched, raising her arms and groaning with exhaustion. "She sounds dreadful..." she looked at Jack, her mouth on the brink of a smile, "But I think we can defeat her. Remember, I have a frying pan."

He chuckled, and she sighed, gathering the covers and throwing them over herself. He was surprised when she disregarded the pillows he had given her and instead laid her head in his lap, bunching the blankets beneath her chin to keep warm and dozing off serenely.

"You know," she said sleepily, her eyes closed, "You're not as cold as you let on, Jack Frost."


	14. Chapter 14

14. **Merida**

"I'm sorry about yer ear. Really."

Bunnymund shook his head distractedly, digging impatiently through a large basket full of random items.

"Nah, it's fine," he said, irritably tossing a pastel pink egg away, "I've taken worse."

Merida nodded, and turned, looking around. They stood in Bunnymund's warren, an enormous valley dotted with brightly colored wildflowers and full of scurrying Easter Eggs that ran about, popping in and out of the soft soil. The early morning sun made the whole place shine. She had to confess to herself that it all took her breath away.

She jumped when Bunnymund suddenly let out a whoop, lifting something over his head and jumping up and down. "Found it! I knew I didn't toss it!"

"What is it?" Merida asked, looking curiously at the large blue plastic egg he held.

He answered this by popping it open, and a bow and arrow fell into Merida's hands.

"I built them for Cupid's birthday a few decades ago," Bunnymund told her, tossing the plastic egg halves away, "But apparently they're '_too violent' _for him. Bloody pansy, that one. So, you can have 'em."

Merida put the arrow to the bow and took aim, testing the bow's flexibility.

"Thanks," she said gratefully, lowering them, "Me old bow isn't nearly as strong as this one. And the arrows..."

They were beautiful, carved of red wood and incredibly sharp.

"They aren't an ordinary bow and arrow," Bunnymund told her, "The bow supplies endless arrows, while the arrows themselves have fire at the ends when they're shot. Go on ahead and test it out."

"You tried to give Cupid flaming arrows?" she asked, amused, and she eagerly took aim once more at a patch of glittering false grass a few yards away, and released the arrow. It sailed smoothly, and she gasped when the head burst into flames, hitting it's target and lighting the patch on fire. Another arrow appeared instantly set and ready against the bow.

"That's the ticket," Bunnymund said, looking satisfied as he beat the flaming grass with his foot, putting it out.

"Thank you," Merida breathed, staring down at the bow and arrow in her hands in amazement.

He grinned, waving her thanks away. "No problem kid," He looked up at the sky, "The sun's completely up. We'd better head to Tooth's place, your training begins today."

He summoned a tunnel, and motioned for Merida to go first. She stepped forward.

"Oh, by the way," he said, and she turned, "Make sure you keep those flaming arrows away from my ears. Rabbit fur doesn't take kindly to fire."


	15. Chapter 15

15. **Hiccup**

"Come on, Hiccup," Toothiana said sympathetically, walking into the room he sat in and sitting beside him on the bed. His face was in his hands. "What are you so worried about?"

He sighed, looking up and staring at the wall to avoid her gaze. "I- I can't do it," he blurted, pressing his fingers to his temples, "I can't go out there. I can't face this Rowena person. Look at me!" He gestured to himself. "I'm as fragile as a fairy! No offense."

"None taken," she laughed, before looking at him seriously, "You can't take yourself for granted. You're too strong."

"Oh yeah?" he replied, skeptical, "How do you know?"

"Your teeth," she said simply, "Your memories. You defeated a dragon a thousand times your size! Is that not strength?"

"Yeah, well, I had help," he told her, "Not to mention, literally _everything _is a thousand times my size. I just... I can't hurt things, I can't fight. The only impressive thing I've ever done on my own is raise dragons..."

"And what makes you think you'll be doing this on your own?"

Hiccup shrugged. "The other guardians won't want anything to do with me."

She huffed, placing her hands on her hips and looking like a stern mother. "Hiccup," she said, in the scolding tone she used on her mini fairies, "You may not be muscle, but you are brain. We need that inventive mind of yours to help us with weaponry. You're so much more important than you think, Hiccup, and you need to realize that. You are a _Viking_."

"I am a Viking," Hiccup repeated, and took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves, "I am a Viking."

"That's the spirit," Toothiana said, beaming, "Do you think you're ready to go out there now?"

"Yeah," he replied slowly, "I am." But he didn't move.

"There's something else, isn't there?" she asked softly, "You know, you can tell me. I'm your trainer, after all; You can tell me anything."

He sighed, bowing his head.

"I just..." he said quietly, "I just miss everybody. My father, my friends, and Astrid."

She looked at him for a moment, at loss for words, wishing she could cheer him up somehow.

"Hey," she said brightly, placing her hand on his chin and lifting his face, "I know it won't make up for much, but your dragon will arrive out front in just a couple minutes, if that makes you feel any better."

Despite his sudden onslaught of grief, he smiled at the thought of seeing Toothless.

"Alright," he said, his strength rising and his sorrow fading, "Let's go."

* * *

They stepped out into the blinding morning sun that reflected off of the gleaming palace.

A mini fairy fluttered in front of Hiccup, and he flinched. To his surprise, it flit forward and pecked his cheek lovingly. "Huh," he said, holding out his index finger and chuckling when it sat perched upon it, fluffing it's feathers and tittering excitedly, it's enormous eyes looking up at him bashfully, "I guess you're not too bad."

Toothiana laughed as she guided him to the courtyard, where most of the other guardians stood waiting for the rest to arrive.

"Oh, I forgot something inside," Toothiana said, turning back to the palace, "I'll be right back."

A moment later, the Guardians gasped as a shadow fell over the courtyard, and the silhouette of an enormous dragon grew larger as it neared, being lowered onto the ground.

It was Toothless.

His arms and legs were bound with rope, and two large white furry creatures sat on his back, using the ropes as reins. When they landed, they quickly untied him, and stumbled away in fear as Toothless roared, angry for being kidnapped. The Guardians backed away as he growled and thrashed, snapping his teeth menacingly. The white-haired boy from the night before, Jack, raised his staff cautiously, taking a protective stance in front of Rapunzel, who merely laughed.

"Wait!" she said, placing a hand on his wrist, and he lowered the staff, looking at her incredulously.

She stepped forward carefully, raising her hands to show she was unarmed.

"Rapunzel!" Jack shouted, looking afraid, but she waved him away.

"Trust me," she whispered, smiling brightly.

Toothless examined her for a moment, and the rumble in his throat suddenly stopped. She stepped even closer to him, reaching her hand out and placing it gently on his forehead. His reaction was immediate.

He let out a purr-like sound, and stepped forward, nudging her torso with his nose. "See?" she laughed, rubbing Toothless' neck, "He wants hugs!"

"Toothless!" Hiccup exclaimed, dashing forward and grinning, "I missed you, buddy."

"He's yours?" Rapunzel asked, stepping back and smiling as Hiccup threw his arms around the dragon's neck and hugging him.

"Yeah," he replied, patting his dragon's head, "This is Toothless."

"Well, hello Toothless," she said endearingly, kissing the dragon on the nose, before turning back to Hiccup. "And you're Hiccup, right? From yesterday?"

He nodded just as a hole opened up in the ground a few feet away.

An enormous rabbit hopped out, before reaching back in and taking the hand of a wild-haired woman, helping her out.

"Oh my," the girl gasped, sitting in the grass and holding her head in her hands, "Not my preferred method o' transportation. Just give me a moment to breathe."

Hiccup eyes widened as he watched her brush her thick crimson curls back away from her face, fanning herself as she tried to catch her breath. She was so startlingly beautiful, with a round face and large blue eyes. He suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

She sensed him watching her, and turned to look at him.

His heart skipped a beat and he quickly ducked behind Toothless, causing Rapunzel to look down at him curiously.

"Alright Guardians!" North's voice boomed throughout the courtyard, snapping Hiccup out of his trance. The girl turned away, paying attention to what was being said.

"You may begin your training!"


	16. Chapter 16

16. **Rapunzel**

"Alright," Jack said, leaning forward on his staff and giving her a challenging grin, "Show me what you got."

Rapunzel nodded, determined to prove herself.

She did a sharp, graceful twirl, waving her left arm as she did so. Assorted flowers sprung from the soil all over the courtyard, startling the other Guardians. They were the size of dinner plates and gave off a pleasant scent.

She crossed her arms, smirking at him, but her face fell when she saw him laughing. "What's so funny?" she snapped, glaring at him.

"What are you going to do?" Jack asked, chuckling, "Shower her with petals?"

She frowned. "What else am I supposed to do?"

All the humor left his face when he saw her seriousness. "What, you mean..." he began, "You mean that's all you can do?"

"Well, yes," she said defensively, looking slightly hurt.

"No, no, I didn't mean anything offensive," he said quickly, "It's just, along with magic, North has his swords, and then Bunny has his boomerangs, and I have my staff. You don't have an alternative weapon, besides your magic?"

Rapunzel looked over at the two other new guardians. Hiccup had his dragon and Merida had her bow.

She had nothing but a few flashy flowers.

"I-" she said quietly, "No. I don't."

She suddenly felt useless.

He opened his mouth to say something reassuring to her, but just then North cut in, looking serious as he walked up to them. "Er, Rapunzel," he said, "I need you to step away with me for a moment. Jack, you'd best come too, she may need a friend."

The two exchanged looks, before following North to a secluded corner of the courtyard, away from all the noise and action of training

North took a deep breath, and turned somberly to Rapunzel. From behind his back, he revealed a small glass vial, filled with a glimmering gold liquid.  
"I've spent all night waiting for Man in Moon to get this for me."

Jack and Rapunzel stared curiously at the glowing vial. "What... what is it?" Rapunzel asked.

North idly flipped the vial upside down, the thin liquid running down the side and coming to a stop against the cork. He repeated this motion smoothly.

He was stalling.

"It is... gift from the sun," North said quietly, "Not unlike very gift that healed your mother's pneumonia during your birthtime and passed it's magic down to you... in the form of incredibly long golden hair with healing powers."

Rapunzel's knees went weak, and she reached out for Jack's support. He took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly in his own, ignoring the heat her skin gave off.

"I am giving you a choice," North told her, "to take this potion and reattain the magical hair you possessed when mortal. Or, you can remain as you are now."

Rapunzel stared at that small cylinder bottle, filled with her past. The magical incantation from her memories ran threw her head.

_Flower gleam and glow  
Let your power shine  
Make the clock reverse  
Bring back what once was mine_

People would be getting hurt during this battle; Children and guardians alike.

She had to take this potion. She had to help.

Tentatively, she took the small potion from North's large hands, and he stepped back, allowing her space. She turned to Jack, giving him a weak yet determined smile that told him he should step away too. He did this, backing up a few feet along with North. Small crescent imprints on his knuckles showed how tightly she had clutched his hand.

She examined the vial carefully, fingering her soft brown locks that she would be saying goodbye to forever. She had to do it now, before she would lose her nerve and fling it away from herself.

In one swift, fast motion, she uncorked the bottle, raising it to her mouth and finishing it in one swallow.

A second went by.

Two.

Three.

"How do you feel?" North asked nervously.

She opened her mouth to respond, before a loud gasp erupted from between her lips, and she fell to her knees.

"Rapunzel!" Jack exclaimed, running forward, before turning to North, "Is it hurting her?"

"No," Rapunzel said breathlessly, as her short brown hair turned a blinding gold color that shone like searchlights, "It just feels strange and... right."

Jack jumped as her hair began to grow, slowly at first, then rapidly, yards of it spiraling around them like a snake. After a minute of this, her hair seemed to be at least seventy feet long. It then stopped growing, and the bright glowing disappeared, leaving her hair a light blonde color.

She didn't move, still on her knees, facing the ground with her eyes squeezed shut.

Until she felt a gentle, chilly hand on her shoulder.

Her eyes fluttered open, and her hands flew to her scalp, her fingers running through the smooth, soft tendrils. Slowly she stood, Jack and North steadying her on her feet. She was shocked by how light it was; It didn't weigh her head down or force her to strain.

Hesitantly, she turned her head to examine the long golden locks that trailed to the floor She thought she could feel its power just barely radiating, making her insides feel warm.

"Does it... does it work?" she asked quietly. Her eyes fell upon a bandage wrapped around North's shoulder, "Can I try it out on that?"

North looked down at his shoulder, where Rowena had slashed at him with long sharp claws back at Jack's.. "I suppose," he said, and knelt down beside her.

She carefully unwrapped the bandage, trying as hard as she could to keep him from wincing, and bunched some of her hair together, pressing it tightly against the angry red wound. Softly, she sang the healing incantation, and Jack watched in awe as her hair began to glow, not as brightly as before, but just as mesmerizing. North stared at his own shoulder, his eyes shining with wonder and curiosity as the pain started to ebb.

Once she'd finished the song, Rapunzel slowly removed the hair to reveal smooth, uninjured flesh.

"Ah ha!" North exclaimed, moving his shoulder up and down, before pulling his coat over it, "Amazing! Thank you, my dear."

Rapunzel smiled, and turned to see Jack's reaction.

She saw him, jaw dropped and looking speechless, and behind him, the rest of the Guardians had the same expressions on their faces, having stopped their training to watch.

"I've never seen anythin' like that in me whole life..." Merida gasped, dropping the bow and arrow she held, "And I've seen all kinds of magic in my time."

The other Guardians nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, the door to the tooth palace burst open, and Toothiana came whizzing out.

"Rapunzel!" she said breathlessly, clutching a small wooden box in her hands, "I've got something for you..." She hovered in front of her, oblivious to the silent crowd surrounding them. She held out the box, and Rapunzel took it curiously. "Love the new do, by the way."

Rapunzel smiled, and looked down at the box. It felt familiar in her hands, and she opened it to find at least a dozen small jars of paint, with a few brushes at the bottom. She looked up at Toothiana, speechless.

"I sent my fairies to retrieve them from your tower," Toothiana explained, "It's amazing, they're not dried out or anything, after all these years. You used to paint in your mortal life, you were pretty good at it. Maybe you can paint in your free time, you know?"

Rapunzel stared down at the box, which she now closed and hugged to her chest. "Thank you."

Toothiana waved her thanks away like it was nothing, even though to Rapunzel, it was _everything_, before leaning in and whispering into her ear. "That boy Hiccup over there, he paints too. Leaves mostly. He's feeling a bit useless, and lonely. That'd be a good thing for him, you know? To have a friend."

Rapunzel nodded, smiling even bigger still, and Toothiana beamed, before flitting away.

"Alright Guardians," North called, rubbing his own shoulder with obvious glee, "Resume your training!"


	17. Chapter 17

17.** Jack**

"So what do you think went wrong?" Rapunzel asked, yawning, "You know, with Rowena?"

They were on the floor of Jack's office, lying on their stomachs and poring over spellbooks and witchcraft journals, trying to prepare themselves for what they were up against. Rapunzel was bundled up in three or four quilts to keep warm, her hair surrounding them in a circle. They had been training all day at Toothiana's, where Rapunzel learned her hair could be used to fight as well as heal.

It was near midnight now, but neither could sleep.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, looking up from _Ancient Hexes and Curses._

"Well," Rapunzel replied, biting into a pear, "nobody just _goes_ evil, do they? Everybody hates something, or wants something, or..."

"What she wants is children," Jack said bitterly, snapping the book shut. He had just read about a particularly gruesome curse that turned your tongue into fire.

"Yeah..." Rapunzel sighed, placing the book on the ground and resting her cheek on it. It seemed to take quite a bit of effort to keep her eyes open. "I just wish I knew why she tasted children in the first place. You don't like something until you try it, right? She had a motive." She shivered at the thought, and pulled the covers tighter around her shoulders.

"Do you want to go and sit in front of the fire?" Jack asked, standing.

She drowsily shook her head, before reaching up and grabbing his hand, pulling him down into a sitting position. "I'm fine," she told him, tracing his knuckles and palms with her thumb.

He felt his eyes close, her soft touch soothing him despite the strange warmth it roused in his chest and stomach.

It was then, when her hand went limp and her breathing deepened as she fell asleep, that he felt a twinge of fear in his gut.

They would be going after Rowena in less than a month; North had a few locations he reckoned she was hiding, growing stronger and stronger, brewing potions to increase this strength.

On the last day of October, she'd be strong enough to go after children again.

This twinge of fear that Jack felt was not for himself.

It was for the children. It was for his fellow Guardians, the newest ones especially. And it was for Rapunzel, who was so sweet and innocent and kind and strong. She seemed so small and feeble just then, curled up on the ground in her blankets.

After a moment, he stood, releasing her hand, and walked out of the room, through the main room, and out the front door.

He stood on the porch, and leaned forward on his staff, looking up at the moon, which looked closer from up on a mountain.

"Why is Rowena back?" he whispered to it, staring up at the enormous glowing orb that shone down on the mountain, bathing the cottage in silver, "What does she want?"

_"What she wants is children,"_ his own voice repeated in his head, answering him.

But no; There was something else. He just knew it.

But the Man in the Moon never spoke to him. The only words he had ever heard it say was his very own name, the night he had risen out of the ice and taken his first breath and discovered his own magic.

Now, six months later, Jack was still waiting for the day the Man in the Moon would speak to him.

He sighed, looking down. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I don't know why you still won't talk to me," he continued quietly, staring at the ground, "But please just keep them safe. And keep _her _safe."

He then turned, and walked back into the house.

Up above, the moon's beams shone brighter in a very reassuring way.


	18. Chapter 18

**A.N: ****_So I've gotten a lot of requests about chapter lengths, so I'll start making them longer. This one should be the longest one yet. I hope you like this chapter, I didn't originally intend on writing it; It kind of crept up on me. There may be grammar or spelling errors, as I kind of got caught up in the excitement of the moment, but I'll check it over tomorrow. I just had to show this to you guys. Enjoy! C:_**

**_-L_**

18. **Merida**

"Er, Tooth?"

Merida knocked on the large palace doors awkwardly, though she knew Toothiana probably would not answer.

"Jack wanted me to check on you..." she continued, scratching the back of her neck and looking back at the other Guardians in the courtyard, "Said somethin' about a mental breakdown, or...?"

She was a bit surprised when the door actually opened, slowly, just ajar, and a single green eye peeked through the thin crack.

"Um...," she said, snapping her fingers in the effort to remember his name, "Er, uh... _Hiccup._ Hiccup, how is she?"

He opened the door a bit wider, before throwing a glance back inside. "She's uh..." He looked back at Merida, sighing. "Yeah, I think she's lost it."

"Can I come in?"

"Are you sure you want to?" he asked, gritting his teeth worriedly and looking back inside, but he still stepped aside, opening the door wide enough for Merida to see inside.

It was absolute chaos.

"Girls, girls, one at a time," Toothiana exclaimed desperately, as what must have been a hundred little bird-like creatures whizzed around her, squealing frantically, "Okay, this one's Tammy Gonzales' left incisor, put that in with her others. How much did you give Levi Miller, he shouldn't get more than a quarter for this, look how badly he flossed! Is this another one from Jamie? I swear Jack's gonna knock all that poor boy's teeth out..."

"Um... Tooth?"

Toothiana whirled around at the sound of her name being called, her fuchsia eyes wild, and lavender circles beneath them indicated that she hadn't been sleeping for awhile. He gorgeous feathers were tousled, and as she turned a few fell over her face. "Oh, hello Merida, how nice of you to visit. If you could just hold on for a moment..."

She gave a couple dozen highly-detailed instructions to an enormous group of buzzing tooth fairies, which soared past Merida and Hiccup and out the door.

Sighing, Toothiana floated down to join the two startled teenagers, looking limp and exhausted as she hovered in front of them.

"Are, uh, are you alrigh' Tooth?" Merida asked, taking in the queen's frazzled appearance; Feathers ruffled, shoulders hunched, dainty mouth open in a wide yawn.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Toothiana insisted, waving away Merida's concern, "Just a bit... _overworked._" She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her slight fingers. "I have to make sure that, no matter what the circumstances, all the children in the world still believe in me. And it's a bit challenging to train and go about my daily work at the same time. Not that it's your fault, sweetie," she assured Hiccup, who had scratched his arm and ducked his head guiltily.

"I'm- I'm real sorry to hear about that," Merida said genuinely, "If there's anythin' I can do..."

Toothiana nodded gratefully, before her eyes lit up in wonder. "There is, actually, if you're up to it."

Merida drew herself up to her fullest height, tossing her bow and arrow aside. "Anythin.'"

She noticed Hiccup look up at her with something close to amazement in his eyes.

Practically glowing, Toothiana took her by the wrist, and Merida gasped when she felt her feet leave the ground as Tooth guided her into the air and pulled her into a room full of towering green shelves, full of cylinder gold boxes with face after face painted on the sides.

"If you could," Toothiana said sheepishly, stopping in an aisle near the back and setting Merida on her feet, "Categorize that small stack there? They were, er, knocked down."

Hiccup, who had followed behind them on foot, blushed pointedly.

Merida, meanwhile, was gazing wide-eyed at the enormous pile of metal cases that glimmered in the sun streaming through the towering eyelet windows.

"Hiccup will give you the basics on their placement," Toothiana told her, just as a swarm of fairies came flittering in, chattering loudly. Tooth sighed. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

And with a final grateful look at Merida, Toothiana dashed away.

Merida turned to look at Hiccup, raising her eyebrow as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I, uh, guess we should get started, huh?" Hiccup mumbled, kneeling down in front of the pile. After a moment, Merida followed suit.

She retrieved the cases and read aloud the names written in delicate script on the sides, before handing them to Hiccup, who put them in their place on the shelves.

This went on for ten minutes.

"Ah!" Hiccup exclaimed when Merida handed him the thirty-somethingth case, dropping it to the floor with a clatter.

"What, what?" Merida asked, retrieving the fallen object and eying Hiccup with concern.

Hiccup breathed for a moment, blinking, looking disoriented. "Nothing," he said, his eyes clearing as they fell upon her frightened face, "Some of these memories are stronger than others. Sometimes I get a flash of them."

Merida looked at the case in her hand curiously. "You can view other people's memories?" she asked, holding the case out to him.

He nodded, taking it from her and placing it on the shelf. "But I don't like to. It feels sorta like an invasion of privacy, you know?"

"Yeah..."

A few more moments of silent working.

"So... what's it like? Bringing Autumn to the world?" she asked, hating the quiet.

She also found herself to be genuinely curious about the life of another spirit.

Hiccup shrugged, taking another tooth box from her. "It's... not very interesting to somebody else. I guess. But I like it. It's really calm, but it suits me. I paint the leaves before knocking them down by just telling Wind-"

"You _talk_ to the wind?" Merida asked, amazed.

Hiccup's cheeks went pink at the look she gave him, her blue eyes shining. "Y-yeah. But I'm not good at it. I've always had an issue with control, you know?" He sighed bitterly. "Figures. I get five hundred years of isolated practice and I still suck at what I do."

Merida bowed her head, at loss for words. "It beats the year-round sunburn," she replied, gesturing to her rosy complexion.

He turned from the shelves to look at her fumble with the case in her hands.

"Hey," he said uncertainly, sitting down beside her, "I've seen what you can do. With a bow and arrow, specifically. So any feeling of uselessness that you're obviously..."

He faltered awkwardly when she looked at him, a smile breaking across her features.

There was a mutual understanding as the two looked at each other, the two that had died at around the same time and had spent the same amount of years alone, the _longest_ amount of years, out of the newest Guardians.

Merida suddenly grew self-conscious, and lowered her eyes from Hiccup's to look at the case still in her hands. "Um," she mumbled, clearing her throat and holding the case out to him, her thumb accidentally slipping over the blue jewel embedded in the side, "Here, this one belongs to-"

She gasped when there was a sudden blinding light erupting from within the tooth box, enveloping her in a gold glow.

"Merida?" she heard Hiccup ask, before everything faded, and she closed her eyes.

* * *

When she opened them, she was cold.

Around her, there was the sound of children laughing, and she realized that she was laughing too.

_This is somebody's memory,_ she realized, _I'm seeing everything through their eyes._

Tears streamed down her face as she laughed, clutching her stomach with her head ducked. She saw that she wore a dress unlike her own, brown in color with a red sash around her waist.

When she and the rest of the children finally controlled their laughter, she looked up, wiping her eyes, to see a boy quite a few years older than her new self, standing on an enormous boulder and holding two branches to his head. making them resemble antlers.

_It was Jack._

But he looked so different, his ivory locks replaced with those of a deep chestnut color, dangling over his brown eyes as he grinned mischievously at the audience of children. A dark brown cloak hung around his body as he tromped around, laughing himself. Despite the cold, his feet were bare.

"And then..." he boomed, his voice loud and strong so all the children could hear, "The antlered monster came across a small girl." His eyes locked with Merida's, and she giggled when he pounced forward, growling, "And he attacked!"

He tossed the branches aside and reached for her, lifting her into the air as she squealed with delight, the other children gasping and clapping.

"But," he continued, stepping back up onto the boulder and setting her, still giggling, beside him, "She had a secret weapon." He crouched down beside her, and whispered into her ear; "Alright Olive, just like we practiced."

With a loud giggling growl, Merida felt herself leap forward, reaching out and ticking his ribs. He laughed hysterically, falling off the edge of the boulder and into the large layer of snow that coated the street, bringing her with him as she continued to tickle him.

With shouts of laughter, a dozen other children came charging forward, joining her in tickling this strange different Jack.

"Okay, okay!" he gasped, through the laughter as he was attacked by even more children, "That's enough, the monster's dead, you're gonna suffocate me!"

Squealing and giggling, the children backed away, and Jack stood, brushing the snow off his clothes and chuckling breathlessly. "The end," he said, grinning as he retrieved the tall branch that he had fashioned into a staff, which leaned against the boulder.

"Another!" Merida shouted, with a voice that was not her own.

Jack put his hands up, smiling apologetically as the other children repeated these words, pleading for an encore.

"Sorry guys," he said loudly over their cheers, "But I promised Olive I'd take her ice skating before sunset."

He picked Merida up, sitting her on top of his shoulders and heading towards the houses close by. "Tomorrow, okay? I promise."

A chorus of 'Bye Jack!'s followed them as they walked up to a house nearby and stepped inside.

"Jack!" a woman exclaimed, beaming as she looked at the two of them lovingly from where she stood in front of a sink full of suds and dishes, "How was the storytelling?"

"Oh it was great, Mom!" Merida piped up, hopping off of Jack's shoulders and running about eagerly, not in control of her own actions, "He told us about monsters and witches and fairies!"

"Fairies?" the woman repeated, throwing Jack a grin while he shrugged bashfully, "How amazing."

"It was," Merida replied, smiling at Jack as well, "And now we're going ice skating!"

She came stumbling over with two pairs of ice skates, handing one to him.

"Alright guys," the woman laughed as the two turned and started racing out the door, "Be careful!"

"We will!" Jack chuckled, turning around to give his mother a brief reassuring smile.

When he turned back, he nearly ran right into a girl about his age, who stood with her arms crossed and one foot tapping impatiently.

Merida paused from her prancing and looked up at her, somehow recognizing her. "Oh, here we go..." she muttered.

Jack stepped back, bowing his head nervously as the girl glared at him with sharp blue eyes.

"H-hi Lucy," he mumbled to the ground.

The girl sighed, running her hands through her blonde curls irritably. "Jack," she snapped, "Where are you going _now?_"

Her eyes flickered down to Merida, who glared back up at her.

"You're mad," Jack noted, taking another step back.

"Yes I'm mad!" she shouted, and Merida cringed at this sudden outburst, "I'm angry, in fact!"

Jack seemed to regain his nerve, and took a step forward. "I don't understand why you're so angry at me!" he said through grit teeth.

"Jack, how can you not see why I'm angry?" she huffed, turning away from him.

His arms fell to his sides as he seemed to struggle for words. "I just don't, Lucy."

Merida stepped up to him and put her small hand in his.

Lucy sighed, before turning only slightly, revealing only half of her face. "It's just so painfully obvious that..." she began softly, "That I like you, okay?" Her voice rose as she whirled around to face him. "But you're never around, you're always with the village children, telling stories and climbing trees!" She gestured to Merida furiously. " You're seventeen!" She stomped her foot. "When will you grow up?"

"I am grown up!" he retorted, his cheeks burning like embers as he scowled at her.

Tears began to spill out of her eyes when his shout met her ears. "Then act like it!" she said shrilly, before turning on her heel and storming down the bustling street.

Merida felt her eyes look up at Jack as concern filled her chest, noting his fast breathing and red face and conflicted brown eyes, and she wrapped her arms around his middle, hugging him.

He hugged her back without hesitation, before lifting her up over his shoulders again. "Sorry Ollie," he told her, making his way towards the forest at the edge of the village, "I didn't mean for that to happen. But now, we're gonna have fun, okay?"

She nodded, feeling her excitement return.

After a couple minutes of walking through the woods, they made it to a clearing, where an enormous frozen lake glittered in the weak sun.

Impatient, Merida scrambled off of Jack's shoulders, snatching the skates out of his hands and sprinting onto the ice.

"Olive, not so close to the center!" Jack called, but she payed no notice to this until she felt the ice weaken beneath her feet.

"Jack!" she cried, suddenly terrified.

Abandoning his own skates, Jack sprinted forward, clutching his staff tightly in his other hand.

He stopped a few feet away from her, not wanting to put any more weight on the ground.

Merida looked down at her feet, and her reflection in the ice showed a girl with straight brown hair and brown eyes. "Jack," she repeated in a terrified squeak.

"It's okay, it's okay," Jack said quietly, though his own heart thudded in his chest, "Don't look down, just look at me."

She managed to tear her eyes from the groaning ice and look into his comforting brown ones.

"Jack, I'm scared," she whimpered.

"I know, I know," he told her, attempting to step forward but feeling the ice budge beneath him threateningly, "But you're gonna be alright, you're not gonna fall. Um..." He bit his lip, before forcing himself to smile. "We're gonna have a little fun instead."

"No we're not!" Merida replied, holding her arms out to keep her balance.

He knelt down a little so their faces were level. "Would I trick you?"

"Yes!" she cried, "You always play tricks!"

He gave her a genuine smile. "Well not this time. I promise, I _promise _you're going to be fine." His brown eyes bore into hers, full of suppressed fear.

"You have to believe in me."

Tentatively, she nodded.

He looked around himself uncertainly, searching for ideas.

"Alright," he said after a second, "We're gonna play hopscotch, like we practiced."

She looked at him uncertainly, but nodded, her breathing quickening as the ice continued to creak beneath her.

Seeing this, Jack took a step to the side. "One- _whoa_!" he said, before nearly falling forward, comically balancing on one foot and coaxing a laugh out of her.

"Two..." he said nervously, taking another step. "Three!"

He took a final step, and sighed with relief when he still stood steady. "Now it's your turn."

Reluctant but reassured by his playing, she took a small step, and gasped when the ice beneath her cracked like glass.

"Two," Jack continued, his eyes urging her forward, towards safety, towards him. She took another step, and the ice cracked louder, thick lines trembling dangerously.

"_Three!"_

She gasped when something hard curved around her waist and jerked her off her feet, swinging her away towards thicker ice. She slid on her knees for a moment, before coming to a stop a few feet away.

Breathless, she looked back at him, and couldn't keep in the laughter when his face turned up into a relieved grin.

But then his smile opened into a circle as his eyes widened in horror, and with a deafening crack, the ice gave way beneath his feet, and she watched him sink into the water like a stone.

"JACK!" she screamed, ignoring the groaning ice beneath her as she scrambled forward and thrust her hand into the newly formed hole in the ice.

Through the startling cold, she felt his cloak brush against her fingers, and she grasped at it, yanking with all her might. It gave, and she pulled it up, but Jack was no longer in it.

"Jack!" she shouted once more, tears streaming down her cheeks and instantly freezing on her face as she reached in once more, up to her elbow in bitingly cold water. Her heart skipped when she felt his hand barely touch the skin of hers, but then it was gone, and so was he.

"You promised no more tricks," she gasped, "And you tricked me. You pushed me out of the way. You tricked me!"

She couldn't see him, as the sun was set and everything was dark, and she pulled her soaked arm out and sobbed into her hands, choking and hiccuping as she panicked. "_I _was supposed to fall! Not you."

Then the clouds parted above her and a beam of silver fell across her body, and she looked up, startled. Gusts of wind began to blow alarmingly strong, swirling her hair around her face, making snowflakes circle around her, a particularly large one lingering before her very eyes.

She reached out to touch it, and it exploded into small bits of ice, which swirled around intricately and took shape of a... was that a fairy?

She rubbed her eyes, thinking she was imagining this. The fairy remained and whizzed around her head, coating her face in soft kisses. More creatures formed out of the snow, everything that Jack had ever told her about; Sasquatches and mermaids, centaurs and goblins, witches and monsters. It all circled around her rapidly, glowing in the moonlight, before his figure was formed out of the snowflakes, looking at her with a sad smile, eyes peeking out at her through pointed bangs.

And then the snow fell to the ground, and everything was still.

"_Merida!"_ somebody called from somewhere far away, and the world around her melted into nothing

* * *

"Merida!" Hiccup exclaimed, shaking her shoulders, and she opened her eyes to see two pairs of green and pink ones looking back at her.

Toothiana held the case Merida had been holding in her hand. "You were holding this with a vice-like grip," Tooth told her, and Merida looked down to see the fingernails of her own right hand jagged and chipped. "What happened?"

Merida couldn't breathe. "I was- he- I saw-" she gasped, trying to catch her breath, and she leaned against Hiccup, resting her head on his shoulder.

"What did you see?" he asked softly.

She whimpered quietly, panting in air. "Jack. He fell. He..."

Hiccup took the case from Toothiana, examining the side, before gasping.

Written in delicate cursive was the name; _Olivia Frost._


	19. Chapter 19

19. **Hiccup**

"Okay..." Toothiana said awkwardly as Hiccup hopped off of Toothless, "Obviously you know what you're doing when it comes to flying. Now, um..."

She wasn't sure what else to do. They had been spending the past couple training sessions creating obstacle courses with the mini fairies up in the air, which Hiccup never failed to avoid with ease.

"Just say it," Hiccup said monotonously as he leaned against Toothless' side, "I'm pretty much useless to this group."

Toothiana gave him a scowl that went strangely with her usually soft features. "Hiccup, you're not-"

She was cut off when he suddenly took a deep breath and exhaled, sending a feeble gust of wind at a nearby tree.

He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms as a single leaf fell from the tree, landing daintily to the ground. "Fear my wrathful power."

"Now Hiccup," she said, her eyes softening, "You have it in there, I know you do. We just have to find it."

He shook his head disbelievingly but let the matter drop.

"You know," Tooth said thoughtfully, "Even though we're not sure about your magic yet, your strength might be-"

He laughed genuinely at this, and she narrowed her eyes at him, turning his chuckle into a sigh. "Look, I can't do anything, okay? But I have Toothless, and I think a dragon's a _pretty_ valid addition to the team."

Toothiana shook her head. "You have strength too. We just need to find that as well. And I think I have the perfect teacher..."

She turned to where Bunnymund and Merida stood a few yards away, their heads ducked together as they examined an arrow closely.

Toothiana grabbed Hiccup's hand and began to drag him over to them.

"Bunny!" she called as she walked, causing the rabbit to look up curiously, "Your assistance is needed!"

Hiccup blushed bright red as Toothiana managed to explain their situation somehow without referring to him as a weak wuss.

"...And I figured you'd be the best one to help him," Toothiana concluded, while Bunnymund looked down at Hiccup thoughtfully.

"Yeah, 'course I can help the little ankle-biter," Bunnymund said goodheartedly, nearly knocking him to his knees as he pat his back.

"This can not end well," Hiccup mumbled as Merida muffled her own laughter against her hand.

"I'll go take a peek at the weapons we have provided," Bunnymund said, gesturing for Tooth to follow him to the rack of various random items used to fight, set up against the wall of Tooth's palace.

Hiccup glared at the ground as they left, seeing no point in any of this. He had tried just about every weapon imaginable back in Berk, and failed every time; Did they really expect something like that to change?

He sighed, and turned to Merida, who was watching him with a bemused expression on her face, aiming her bow at a target nearby and loosing an arrow into the center of it without even looking at it.

"Can you just be like _not _good at that for five minutes?" Hiccup groaned, eying the target as it burst into flames, "You're ruining my nonexistent self esteem."

Merida gave him a half-smile, before throwing her bow over her shoulder and stowing the arrow in a belt around her waist, walking over to him. "Bunny's a real good teacher," she assured him, "He'll set you right."

He nodded, though still looked uncertain, before getting a good look at her face and seeing the bruise- like marks beneath her cerulean eyes, as though she hadn't slept in a while. "You okay?"

"Hmm?" she murmured distractedly, her eyes going in and out of focus as she came back from her thoughts, "Oh, yes, I'm fine." Her eyes drifted to something behind him.

Hiccup followed her gaze, turning to see Rapunzel and Sandy, Sandy tossing several objects made of sand at her for her to hit with her crazy-long hair.

But his wasn't what Merida was looking at.

Jack stood a few feet away, watching this training session with amused interest while leaning idly against his staff, the grass beneath his feet slightly icy.

"Was it strange?" Hiccup asked, watching Jack along with her, "Seeing all that?"

Merida sighed, looking down at the ground. "Aye," she replied softly, "It was like I was her, and I saw everythin' she saw, and heard everythin' she heard, and felt everythin' she felt. I had never been more frightened for anybody in me entire life. When he fell, it was like... It was like it was _my _brother fallin.'" She shuddered. "I didn' know that was how he..."

She trailed off, clearing her throat. "That poor, poor girl."

Hiccup listened to this somberly, unable to imagine experiencing such a thing.

"I feel like I should talk to him," she continued, "But I feel like it's a wee bit personal, don't you?"

He nodded, looking down at his hands. "Who knows, though?" he said thoughtfully, "Maybe there'll be a time to talk to him about this someday. A time for _all _of us to talk, even. We've all lost somebody, haven't we?"

Merida's hand went to her round chin as she considered this, before Bunnymund and Toothiana came back with their arms full of various items.

"Alright mate, we managed to collect the smallest weapons available," Bunnymund said, setting them down on a rock, "Go on and browse."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, throwing a distasteful look at the weapons. Hatchets, daggers, crossbows... None of them were _him. _Not to mention they all required aim, which he greatly lacked.

"This is not a good idea," Hiccup stated, turning to Bunnymund and Toothiana, "Why can't we all just accept the fact that I'm too weak to do anything but useless things, like paint leaves and-"

"Excuse me?" Bunnymund replied, raising an eyebrow, "Ya think paintin' is useless?"

There was a leather strap wrapped around his torso, with multiple pockets and loops, one of which held his beloved boomerang. He reached into one of the pockets near the top, and pulled out a small egg, covered in bright colors and complicated swirls.

"Have ya got any idea how careful ya have to be when painting one of these things?" Bunnymund asked rhetorically, handing the egg to Hiccup, who examined it with an impressed look on his face, "Hands used for strength can also be used for gentility. Should work the other way around, too right? You've got somethin' in there," He gestured to Hiccup, "That you're too tame and calm to let out."

Hiccup listened to these words uncertainly, still looking down at the egg, and Bunnymund shrugged. "Then again, I ain't one for inspiration. You'd go to North for that."

"You'd go to me for what?"

The four of them turned to see North walking up to them, his eyes unreadable.

"Oh, Hiccup's feeling a bit down," Tooth replied, stepping forward, "So we're trying to... Are you alright?"

North looked at her solemnly, and Hiccup sensed some kind of mutual understanding between the two, as though they were somehow communicating without words.  
"Guardians," he said, loud enough for the three others to hear, "I have... I have grave news."

He paused when a group of mini fairies came fluttering past him, trilling and chirping excitedly.

"Er, three children went missing last night in a small town in Transylvania," North continued, and the fairies visibly deflated, one of them going limp and falling to the ground, where Jack stepped forward and caught her in his hand.  
"This is where we believe Rowena is hiding." North took a deep breath as all the other Guardians leaned forward in anticipation. "I am sorry to say that we must seek her out sooner than expected. We... we head out tomorrow morning."  
"_What?_" Merida exclaimed with outrage, but her voice rang with fear. "We can't! We're not ready, we-"  
"We... we are so sorry." Toothiana said, hovering beside North and looking just as shocked as the others, but she managed to keep her dignified stance despite the obvious fear that made her hands shake, "B-but if children are getting hurt, we must take d-desperate measures." She looked extremely pale. "But I believe in you. _We_ believe in you. And we will stand beside you until the end."  
"The end?" Hiccup repeated, blanching.  
"The end of the battle!" North said hurriedly, exchanging looks with Toothiana, who threw Hiccup an apologetic look.  
"Listen guys, "Bunnymund said, standing with the two others, "We were all chosen to keep all the children of the world safe. And that's what we're doin' t-tomorrow." Despite his obvious effort to appear confident, his voice cracked on the last word.  
Everyone was silent.

Rapunzel looked weak, her face going white as paper, and Jack's eyes were full of fear as he grasped her hand.

Merida's knees buckled beneath her, and she fell to her knees.

Hiccup felt frozen, lifeless, his throat dry and his eyes wide as their words sunk in.

None of them spoke. They all stared straight ahead. Straight at North.

"You are... your are dismissed," North said quietly.

Slowly, everybody began to depart.

"Come inside soon," Toothiana told Hiccup softly as she ushered her frightened fairies into the palace, touching his cheek gingerly with the back of her hand as she passed.

Bunnymund stood still for a moment longer, before shaking his head to clear his thoughts and creating a tunnel to his warren in the ground, before turning to Merida. "We'd best head out too."

But Merida didn't move.

She looked at Hiccup with fear evident in her eyes. She opened her mouth as though to say something to him, and then clamped it shut. After a few silent moments, she closed her eyes and shook her head, before turning and hopping gracefully into the tunnel.

"This is... this is really happening," Hiccup whispered to himself, and North, hearing this, nodded, before glumly turning away.

Hiccup kept his place, looking up at the sky, and though it was still afternoon, he hoped that _he _was still listening.

"Okay, look," Hiccup mumbled, still looking up at the sky and fumbling with his hands, "I literally just found out that you have a name and stuff, so, um, _Manny._.. If you could just... Do everything in your power to keep North and Bunny and Sandy and Tooth and Jack and Rapunzel and M-Merida from getting hurt? Because I haven't had friends in a really _really_ long time..."

He paused, lowering his head to look at the ground,"...and that'd be a pretty hard punch in the gut if they were taken away like that."

He sighed, nudging the dirt in the ground with the toe of his boot. "So if you could just tell me what my strength or whatever is already," he said quietly, "Maybe I could help."

And with that, he turned away without a backwards glance and walked into the palace.


	20. Chapter 20

**A.N: ****_Yeah, you know, I'm just gonna post every couple of days, because I'm not satisfied with once a week. If it is of any inconvenience to you that my hiatuses are notably short, or that I post more than one chapter within a 24 hour time period, I'm sorry. But I have this really nagging need to express myself, and if I do not express myself, I will go insane and _****_I will take you all with me._****_  
Lots of Love!_**

**_-L_**

* * *

20. **Rapunzel**

She laced her fingers through the grass, where dandelions bloomed everywhere her skin touched.

It had taken a while to convince Jack and Sandy to allow her to stay at the courtyard for a little while longer, but they had finally given in, Jack promising her that he'd come back for her at sunset. She didn't really consider this '_time to be alone with her thoughts_;'

She'd been alone with her thoughts for three hundred years.

She just really loved Toothiana's home, with it's Summertime rainforest feel and it's soft breezes, and soil rich enough to grow some of the most beautiful flowers Rapunzel had ever been capable of growing.

The courtyard seemed to be completely empty now, everyone having left after hearing the news about Rowena.

Tooth's words swirled endlessly around in her head as she looked off into the distance.

_Until the end, until the end, until the end._

Was this, after all the happiness she'd finally found here, the end?

She sighed, putting all of her sadness into a tulip, which bloomed to be the size of her palm. It closed up as her sorrow filled it, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

"Impressive."

She started where she sat when she heard the voice, and looked up to see Bunnymund standing beside her, kneeling down to examine the closed flower.

"You're pretty great at this, for a rookie," Bunnymund told her, brushing the tulip's closed petals with his paw and making them immediately open up, "But ya know, they're real beauties when they're open."

The flower, with it's petals wide and showcased, suddenly appeared to be three times bigger, bobbing happily in the breeze.

Rapunzel stared at it in awe. "You... you can...?"

He scoffed in mock offense, sitting beside her. "Who do ya think you're talkin' to?" he asked, and with a wave of his paw, a dozen tiny buttercups bloomed in a circle around her, making her gasp. "It's what I do."

"Wow..." Rapunzel breathed, and he raised his eyebrow at her surprise. "It's just, I never thought that _you_... I mean, because you're so... I mean..."

He watched with amusement as she struggled for words. "Hey, just because I know my way around a weapon," he said, watching his own palm as a daffodil bloomed in the air above it, and he handed it to her, "Doesn't mean I don't appreciate pretty things. I mean, I'm the _Easter Bunny. _It's kinda what I live for. Flowers represent Spring, Spring represents life. It's common knowledge, Darl."

Rapunzel listened intently to these words, looking at the daffodil and appreciating the soft yellow petals and the velveteen leaves. "I had no idea you felt that way about Spring," she told him, hoping she wasn't sounding rude, "I didn't know you could do all that."

He shook his head. "It _is _what I do," he told her, "I'm a Pooka. I kinda represent nature."

"Wait," she said sheepishly, "So... so you're not just a...?"

"An oversize rabbit?" he finished for her, nodding understandingly, "Everyone always assumes that."

"At least I didn't think you were a kangaroo!" she replied defensively, before her tone softened, "I've never heard of a Pooka before."

She made a show of placing her chin in her hands and blinking up at him expectantly, like a child waiting for a bedtime story.

Startled at her sudden interest, he averted his eyes awkwardly, idly running his paws through the grass around him. "There used to be a lot of us, actually," he mumbled.

"Really?"

She had met and interacted with just about every animal on Earth, having spent her years of isolation exploring with avid curiosity. She _loved_ animals.

And yet she had never even heard of a Pooka.

"How... how long ago?"

He shifted uncomfortably, scratching the back of his head, his ears twitching. "A couple thousand years ago, actually."

Her jaw dropped as he looked down at his hands, his cheeks red through his fur.

"What happened?" she asked softly, and saw a flash of anger blaze in his pale green eyes as she asked this.

"Pitch," he replied, glaring at the ground.

"Pitch?" she repeated, "Who's Pitch?"

He sighed. "Darl, you're askin' for a real long story."

"Well," she said, smiling and gesturing to the late afternoon sky, "I _do _have until sunset."

She made herself comfortable, resting her head against the soft fur of his arm and looking up at him with wide green eyes, resembling a small child.

He looked down at her briefly, the corner of his mouth turning up into a half-smile, before shrugging. "Alright," he said, "You asked for it. Let's see, I guess... I guess it all began with the Man in the Moon..."

* * *

She walked through the freezing woods, a thick quilt wrapped tightly around her shoulders as bits and pieces of Bunnymund's story echoed through her head; Names, places, events of beauty and horror and magic, all hundreds of years before her time.

_The Golden Armies, The Fearlings, Pitch's change..._

There was so much she hadn't known.

When Jack hadn't shown up at sunset, Rapunzel had panicked, so Bunnymund had quickly taken her through a tunnel and the two had burst through the front door of Jack's cottage to find Jack and Sandy sitting side by side against the wall beside the fire, both fast asleep, with Sandy's cheek leaning against Jack's shoulder and Jack's cheek laying on top of Sandy's head.

This was the most adorable thing Rapunzel had ever seen, and she had sighed with relief, glad that they weren't hurt.

"Want me to wake him up?" Bunnymund had asked mischievously, nodding towards Jack and cracking his knuckles eagerly,

Rapunzel had laughed. "No, no, no! He's probably exhausted, we all are. You can go on home, I'll be fine."

She had lingered at the house only a moment after Bunnymund had left, pacing restlessly and dreading the following morning, before finally grabbing a quilt off the pallet on the floor and heading outside, pausing only to kiss Sandy's forehead and Jack's cheek.

Now, she explored the thick forest that surrounded the cottage, smiling up at the snowy owls that hooted happily in their snow-coated trees and catching snowflakes on her tongue.

She ventured farther towards the back of the mountain, the forest small and easy to navigate through, and came across a clearing not too far from the house, which had a small frozen stream, the surface glittering in the moonlight.

It was at its shore where she sat, tucking her legs beneath her and wrapping the blanket tighter around herself., looking down at at the lilypads frozen in the ice.

A mere few minutes after she had sat down, the small bits of snow that fell from the sky began to dissipate as the wind picked up. Large, intricate snowflakes the size of her fist started to swirl around her as though dancing in the wind, and she looked up, giggling as the largest one hovered above her face and landed lightly on her nose.

"How did you know where to find me?" she laughed as the snowflake melted, and she rubbed the cold off of her nose.

The wind calmed, and Jack laughed, stepping out of the shadows beneath a tree a few feet away and sitting beside her. "I had a hunch."

The two sat in silence, enjoying the snow that fluttered around them and ignoring the fear that nagged at the backs of their heads, reminding them of what was in store for them in the morning.

"I'm sorry I didn't come to get you at sunset," Jack said after a moment, ducking his head apologetically, "I didn't-"

"It's fine," she told him earnestly, "Bunny brought me back, and I didn't wake you because you looked so tired..."

He opened his mouth to deny this, but his words were stifled by a wide yawn, proving her point.

"So what did Fluffy want?" he asked, reclining against the tree behind him with his hands folded behind his head, stretching his legs out and skimming his bare heels over the frozen surface of the lake, leaving a trail of frost that swirled outward across the ice.

"He just wanted to ask about my flowers," she replied, watching the frost swirl across the surface of the water with great interest, before her voice softened considerably, "Then he, uh... he told me about Pitch..."

Jack immediately stiffened, abandoning his relaxed position and sitting up straight. "He did?"

His reaction explained quite a bit to Rapunzel, who nodded. "He... he told me everything. All the terrible things he's done. Destroying all the Pookas, bringing fear to the world with his Nightmares, making all the children of the world stop believing in the Guardians, trying to, um," She cleared her throat. "Trying to get you to join him."

She saw him shudder as memories undoubtedly coursed through his brain, and she bent over the surface of the ice, trying to catch his reflection in the water, as his head was ducked and she couldn't see him from where she sat.

His eyes were looking at something miles away, before they cleared and saw her reflection looking at his.

She hated that glumness that filled his usually fun-filled eyes.

"I- I want to go," she said suddenly.

"Go?"

She drummed her fingers against the snow-covered ground, suddenly antsy, impatient, anxious. They were going to confront Rowena tomorrow, and they could easily die... again.

The hopelessness and the dread and the sorrow all swarmed into her stomach and head and heart like a flood, and she was drowning in it.

She wanted to _go_. Just for a little while.

"Yes," she replied, her eyes sparkling as she continued to look at his reflection, "Go. Somewhere. _Anywhere._"

He blinked. "I-"

"Show me your favorite place to go," she told him. She had to get her mind off of Rowena and Pitch, and she tore her eyes from his reflection, looking at the real him, her eyes pleading, "Where do you like to make it snow?"

His eyes flickered across her face for a moment as his eyebrows rose in surprise and concern.

His answer was clear when he stood, reaching a hand out to her, and she took it gladly, excited to explore a place with somebody besides herself for a change.

"I'll show you," he told her, picking his staff up off the ground, "But we'll have to fly there."

Her face fell, and she scratched her arm, looking at the ground. "I- I can't fly."

"That won't be a problem."

He turned his back on her and raised his face to the sky. "Wind!" he called, and even though she couldn't see his face, she could tell he was grinning, "Be gentle with her!"

She cocked her head to the side, puzzled at this, before gasping when the trees began to rustle and her hair started to blow behind her, and a hard gust of wind shuddered everything around them, strong enough to lift her feet off the ground.

"Whoa!" she cried, her arms sprawling out to her sides and her bare feet kicking as she was risen several yards into the air, her dress pluming around her knees. She stared down at her feet as she tottered in midair, trying to keep her balance above the pointed tops of the trees, before raising her head and smiling wanly at Jack, who floated casually beside her with perfect ease.

"This is the scariest thing I think I've ever done!" she told him, laughing nervously.

"You'll get used to it," he assured her, taking her hand, and with a wave of his staff they were suddenly pushed forward, soaring over the trees and the cottage and away from the mountain.

She gave an inaudible laugh through the sound of the rushing wind as they rose higher into the clouds. Once she seemed to have gotten the hang of flying, he released her hand, and she spread her arms and basked in the amazing weightlessness she felt.

"This is wonderful!" she called, as she ran her fingers through the cold wetness of the clouds, "I've never touched a cloud before. I don't know why I've always imagined them to feel like cotton candy."

She turned her head to smile radiantly at him and saw that he was gazing at her with the same expression on his face as he had had on that very first day; An expression of wonder and curiosity.

He quickly averted his eyes when she caught him looking at her.

"But tell me," she continued, giving him a smirk as they glided over endless greenery, "How fast can the wind go?"

The wind ruffled her hair threateningly, sensing her challenge.

Jack hesitated, but grinned back at her. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Before she could answer, the wind surged around her like a hurricane, and she felt herself being shot forward, forcing her mouth and eyes to close as it tossed her about, flipping her and twirling her through the sky. She vaguely heard Jack shouting at the wind in protest, but she wasn't afraid; She was thrilled.

She forced her body to straighten, stopping the cartwheels and somersaults, and sailed smoothly on the barreling gusts that carried her, her hair and dress pluming around her like flowers.

A moment later, Jack took her hand, and she turned to see him looking at her nervously. "I'm sorry, I don't know what got into-"

"That was _extraordinary!"_ she exclaimed breathlessly, her heart thudding from the exhilaration of what she had just experienced.

His grin was back, boyish and lopsided and seemingly blinding in the moonlight... _Why did that smile make her heart beat so much faster?!_

She averted her eyes, coughing into her hand as an excuse to hide the sudden blush in her cheeks.

After a few more minutes of blissful flight, he signaled for her to follow him back down to the ground, and they emerged from the clouds, flying over a small sleeping town whose lights were dim and few at such a late hour.

"This is Burgess," he told her quietly as they landed on the ground right at the edge of town, "This is my home."

Rapunzel walked forward, looking around curiously, and after a moment's hesitation, he followed cautiously.

They walked through the silent town and made their way towards the neighborhood, Jack taking the lead.

"Let's see..." Jack whispered to her, "That's Pippa's house, and that's Monty's, down there is Cupcake's, you don't want get on her bad side. There's the twins', and there," He gestured to a house with a moving truck in front of it, "Those are the new neighbors, I haven't gotten their names yet.. And here..." He paused in front of quaint house with stairs leading up to the door. "This is Jamie's house."

Rapunzel noted the fondness in his voice and smiled. "Is he your favorite?"

"No! I can't just say that I have a favorite kid like that-"

"But he's your favorite."

He looked at her, and she smirked knowingly back at him. "I want to see him," she said, and started walking around the house to a window on the side, "Is this his room?"

"Wait, wait!" Jack whispered urgently, following her, "You can't just-"

"Hey, nobody can see me," she told him, waving his words away, "Just a peek. I'm curious."

Jack sighed, and threw a quick glance down the quiet streets before peering through the window with her.

The window was open ajar, and the room was exactly the same since the last time he he had seen it over six months ago. The bed sat in the center of the room, and at the foot of it, a small dog lay curled up, snoring.

Beneath the covers, his cheek scrunched up against the pillow he laid on, was Jamie, sound asleep.

"Awww," Rapunzel sighed, her eyes shining, "He's adorable. Oh, look!"

She pointed at the wall on the left side of the bed, and Jack followed her gaze to see Jamie's dresser, and on the wall above it, among posters and medals and photographs, was a drawing of him, Jack, drawn as a stick figure in crayon.

His eyes were two blue dots, his hair was a mess of grey squiggles, and his spider-like hands held a poorly drawn yet easily identifiable staff. A large wiggly smile marked his circle face and spiky little snowflakes surrounded him.

In the lower corner of the paper was the messy scrawl that read; _Sophie._

"Did he draw that?" Rapunzel asked, not noticing the name.

Slowly, Jack shook his head, his face breaking into an enormous smile. "No... His sister Sophie did."

Rapunzel turned her head to see that he was practically glowing; She had never seen him look this happy before.

"Did you really think they'd forget about you that easy?" she asked, smiling.

He didn't answer for a second, brushing at his eyes in a real casual way. "I'm just not used to it."

"To what?"

"People believing in me enough to remember me."

Though his words were evenly-toned, she sensed the emotion that was hidden within them.

She looked back at Jamie, who rolled over in his sleep, before placing her head against Jack's shoulder. "Well, he remembers you," she told him, "You bring these children joy. How could anyone forget that?"

He looked down at her, startled at her touch, before looking back at Jamie.

_How could anyone forget that?_

"Hey!"

Jack and Rapunzel started, turning to see a woman from the house next door staring at them over the fence, her hair swooped up into a tight bun and a cigarette in her hands. "Who is that?" she shouted.

"How can she see us?" Rapunzel gasped, grabbing Jack's arm as they both went rigid in fear.

"She... she can see me," Jack told her quietly, reaching for his staff, which he had placed somewhere in the snow beside him. "But I don't get it, how can she see me...?"

"Of course I can see you, boy!" the woman barked, hearing his words and glaring, "You're not as good at hiding as you think you are. Get out of here! I don't want any of you damned teenagers even considering terrorizing me after I've just moved in! Move on before I call the police!"

Knowing that it was a bad idea to fly in front of this woman, he took Rapunzel's hand and wordlessly pulled her away from the window, sprinting out of the front yard and back onto the street.

"Wait!" Rapunzel exclaimed, pulling out of his grip, "She can't see _me_, I want to do something!"

Before he could react, she ran back to the window, despite his whispered protests.

She peeked through the window once more, smiling at the sleeping Jamie for a split second, before touching her hand to the ground beside her, causing a large daisy to poke through the snow. She plucked it from the ground, and reached through the open window, placing the flower on the desk beneath it.

"Sweet dreams, Jamie."

She then turned, and followed Jack into the sky.

* * *

_**Another**_** A.N:****_ Hi, me again. If you are uninterested in the whole "shipping" and "OTP" nonsense, I'd ignore literally everything I'm about to say-  
I feel like it's necessary for me to share with you all the fact that I fully and totally ship JackXTooth. Like seriously; I fangril over FrostBite. I also love EugeneXRapunzel. But, I thought it would be very fitting (and very fun) to try a little something different. So, I fully intend on making Jack and Rapunzel a thing in this story, so all you Jackunzel shippers, I sincerely hope you enjoy. And all you fellow FrostBite shippers, I know it's infuriating, but bear with me here.  
Also: When it comes to Hiccup, Astrid is cool and all, but Mericcup ftw.  
Can't wait to post the next chapter, I'm nearly finished with it!_**

**_-L_**


	21. Chapter 21

21. **Mallory**

Mallory Jones was a dreamer.

"Come on, Todd," she laughed, taking a fluffy towel off the bathroom shelf and walking over to the bathtub, where her baby brother giggled amongst a sea of bubbles, "It is _way _past your bedtime."

She scooped the restless two-year-old up into her arms, wrapping him up cocoon-style in the towel.

"Imma be a fiyaman!" he cried, throwing his fists into the air as she carried him down the hall to the bedroom they shared.

"That's right," she said, smiling, "Halloween's in only a few weeks, and then we can get your fireman costume."

He voiced his excitement through a series of babbles and coos as she dressed him in his blue feetsy-pajamas, but he went quiet when she placed him into his crib, his thumb immediately filling his mouth as his eyelids fluttered.

"Goodnight Todd," she whispered, flicking the lightswitch, so that the only light left in the room was the dim yellow glow of the lamp beside her own bed, on the wall opposite Todd's.

Her side of the room was lined with towering bookshelves that were spilling with books; Fairy tales mostly. The walls that weren't covered by bookshelves were covered with drawings, most of them drawn by herself and framed with rainbow Christmas tree lights. Drawings of people she was too embarrassed to admit she thought were real.

In the corner, an unsteady pile of boxes stood, not yet unpacked, as she and her family had just moved in a mere three months ago.

She trailed her hands down one of the shelf sections, nimble fingers searching for something interesting to read to her two other siblings. Her fingernails met the jagged spine of one of her older books, and she removed it from the shelf, examining the cover closely.

_Rapunzel: An Illustrated Adaptation of the Original Fairy Tale by E.F. Herbert, Rewritten by Mercedes Thom_

This would be perfect for her siblings, though she herself preferred the original novel.

Leaving her bedroom door ajar, she walked into the room next door to where her brother and sister, David and Carla, sat criss-crossed on the ground, tug-o-warring over a stuffed animal.

"It's mine!" Carla shrieked, her button nose scrunched up as she pulled at the teddy bear's ears.

"But I want it!" David protested, pulling just as hard on the bear's legs.

"_Story time!"_ Mallory sang, snatching the bear away from the two and placing it onto her own head as she swooped theatrically into the room.

Her siblings laughed at this, and made a mad scramble towards their beds, eager for one of Mallory's amazing reads from another amazing book.

"Tonight," Mallory said, grinning at her siblings, "I'll be reading _Rapunzel."_

"Aw, that's a _girl's _book," David moaned, crossing his arms.

Mallory smirked at him. "Fine," she said, dramatically holding the book over the trash can in the corner, "I guess I'll just... _throw it away..."_

"Um, but you _can _read it..." David said hastily, "If you, um, want to."

Mallory chuckled at her eight-year-old brother, before sitting down on the ground in front of the two beds and opening the book.

"Once upon a time," she began in her signature reading voice, "There was a beautiful woman with long golden hair that was over a hundred feet long. She often dreamed of a prince, who would carry her away into-"

She paused when she saw her brother whisper something into her sister's ear.

"David?"

Her brother froze, and quickly scurried back to his own bed. "I didn't say nothing," he mumbled quietly.

"Yes he did!" her sister squealed, pointing an accusing finger at the victim of her vicious tattle-tale, "He said you like that boy next door! He said that he's your _prince_!"

Mallory's chocolate-colored cheeks suddenly went bright red. "What?" she snapped, blushing furiously and turning to her brother, who cowered beneath the covers, "You... he... _I do not!"_

"Do too!" David replied, grinning mischievously over the top of the blanket, "You're always looking at him when you walk us to school!" He opened his mouth wide, and began to sing off-key. "Mallory and Jamie sitting in a tree-"

His eyes widened when she tossed the storybook aside and tackled him, giggling furiously as she pummeled him with pillows.

"Take it back, take it back!" she exclaimed, laughing as she covered him in stuffed animals.

"Never!" he replied, scurrying further beneath the covers, and he started chanting, "Mrs. Mallory Bennett! Mrs. Mallory Bennett!"

Carla shrieked with glee, jumping up and down on her own bed, pigtails bouncing on either side of her face, as she watched her siblings quarrel.

They all froze, however, when they heard their mother's shout outside, "Hey!"

Carla whimpered, as she always did when she heard her mother's voice, and burrowed under her covers. "Is she... is she yelling at us?"

"I don't think so," Mallory murmured, standing, "She's outside. Stay here, I'll be right back."

She went back to her room to retrieve her tattered red jacket off the doorknob, briefly checking on her snoozing baby brother, before tentatively making her way down the hall, through the living room, and to the main hall. She opened the front door a crack.

"-don't want any of you damned teenagers even considering terrorizing me after I've just moved in!" her mother was shouting, looking over the fence at something Mallory couldn't see, "Move on before I call the police!"

Her mother then turned away from the fence, shaking her head disgustedly and flicking the cigarette from her hand into the snow.

Mallory took a deep breath, and opened the door all the way, putting herself in full view of her mother. "What- what was it Mom?"

Sarah Jones looked at her daughter wearily for a moment, her tired brown eyes flickering to the book in Mallory's hand, which Mallory had picked up off the floor on her way out of the kids' room.

"Oh, Mallory," she groaned, pinching the bridge of her own nose irritably and disregarding her question, "_What_ did I say about these Fairy Tales?"

Mallory swallowed, quickly placing the book behind her back. "They... they help the kids sleep. They help _me _sleep."

Her mother shook her head, joining her daughter on the porch. "There are better ways of dealing with your insomnia than reading nonsense and obsessing over fictional characters!"

When Mallory didn't answer, she sighed, stealthily snatching the book from her daughter's hand. "What is this one about?" she asked distastefully, glaring at the cover of the book, "The 'Magical Pumpkin of Halloween' or something?"

Mallory scowled. "It's _Rapunzel,"_ she replied, "And there's no such thing as a 'Magical Pumpkin of Halloween.'"

"Oh, but there _is_ such thing as a Jack Frost?"

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Mom, I saw him!" Mallory insisted, her face reddening as her voice rose, "You can't expect me not to believe in him when _I saw him! _Just last week, in the backyard. He... he made us a snowman..._"_

She faltered at the look her mother gave her.

"Mallory, listen," her mother pleaded, gently placing her hand on her fuming daughter's chin, "You're eleven years old. David's eight, Carla's nearly seven, you can't keep filling their heads with-"

"But it makes them _happy!"_ Mallory exclaimed, glaring, "So what if they believe in magic? At least they're having fun, it's not like we have the money to do anything else-"

"You never _will _have the money if you don't abandon all this magic and focus on your schoolwork!" her mother snapped, all attempts of calming her daughter disappearing, being replaced by her own on-the-edge temper, "I'm only thinking about your future."

"I don't know what you're thinking," Mallory replied, her voice soft but ice-cold, "But you're definitely not thinking about me. Or them. Whether you believe in Jack Frost or not, it won't change the fact that he made these kids smile _more than you ever have!"_

This last sentence came out in a shrill shout, and Mallory turned on her heel and stormed back into the house.

Sarah Jones didn't move, watching her daughter retreat into the house with dazed eyes.

After a moment, she blinked, Mallory's shouts ringing through her ears, and she sighed, looking down at the book in her hands. _Nonsense, _it seemed to say on the cover, _unbelievable, unrealistic, unreal._

She raised her arm, on the verge of throwing the book into the snow, before lowering her arm again, her nerve leaving her.

With an exasperated sigh, she clutched it to her chest and walked into the house, closing the door quietly behind her.

* * *

Mallory fell back onto her bed, her face in her hands as she cried silently.

Her mother didn't understand what it was like to be alone, with no friends, with the constant need to envelop herself in the world of fiction.

It was something Mallory went through every day.

"Marry?"

She turned, her cheeks glittering with tears, to see Todd, clutching the bars of his crib and peeking at her with round brown eyes. All that shouting must have woken him up.

"Sad," he said, noticing her tears.

"I'm okay Todd, go on back to sleep," she told him soothingly, brushing her thick black curls from her face and rubbing her wet cheeks, "See? No crying."

He didn't move.

Mallory watched him for a moment longer.

"You believe me, don't you?" she whispered, watching him cock his head to the side as he tried to figure out what she was saying, "You saw him. In the tree, remember?"

He didn't answer, instead laying back down in his crib and placing his thumb serenely in his mouth.

She sighed and turned to look up at the ceiling, where her glow-in-the-dark stars glowed dimly.

"Marry?" came Todd's sleepy voice, stretched out by a wide yawn.

"Yeah?"

It took him a moment to continue.

"Imma be a fiyaman."

Then there was the soft sound of his snoring.

She felt herself smile through her tears.

"That's right."


	22. Chapter 22

22**. Merida **

"I. Am. _Wheezing."_

She sat on the ground, squeezing her head in between her hands and breathing hard.

Bunnymund ducked his head to hide his laughter as the rest of the Guardians emerged from within the tunnel in the ground.

"Never... again..." Merida gasped, as the greenish color in her skin cleared and her breathing slowed, and she got to her feet, "I'll _walk_ back to Asia if I have to, just don' make me go in one of those again."

She was suddenly speechless as she looked up at the towering castle before them, so high up she couldn't see the top of it, or even the moon that shone behind it.

The entire building was surrounded by a deep and empty moat, and turrets and towers disappeared into the dark clouds that threatened rain. The entrance of the castle was a mile-high drawbridge made of splintered wood, and nailed to the center of it was an enormous cardboard sign that read;

**DO NOT ENTER: Closed For Construction Until August. CAUTION – DANGEROUS: Falling Beams and Caving Floors.**

"'Closed,'" Hiccup read with a nervous laugh and a shrug, and he turned away from the castle, "Eh, what a shame. Might as well come back in August..."

Jack sighed, rolling his eyes and catching the back of Hiccup's shirt with his staff, yanking him back.

"An abandoned castle?" Merida said incredulously, "A little cliché for a witch, isn' it?"

"How... are we supposed to get in?" Rapunzel asked, cautiously walking over to the moat and peering over the edge, clutching her hair in her hands. It was completely empty, so falling would undoubtedly lead to a splattering death. "It's not like we can just _fly_ over_..."_

"Excuse me?" Toothiana grinned, her wings fluttering eagerly,"_I _can. I could just go through the window and open it from the inside," She started over the moat.

"Tooth, no!" Bunnymund reached out in the attempt to grab her wrist, but North placed a hand on his chest, holding him back.

"She knows what she's doing," North assured him, his blue eyes twinkling as he watched Toothiana fly through the shattered bay window above the door, "Just trust her."

The dozen mini fairies that Toothiana had brought along all hovered beside Merida, watching the window their mother had disappeared through with large fear-filled eyes.

"Aww, you wee little things," Merida said soothingly, reaching out and taking a particularly frightened one in her hand. The fairy looked up at her with big eyes, one blue and one purple. She looked different from her sisters, with a yellow feather on her head to match her mother's, but there was something else. Merida scanned the fairy's face as she held her in her palm, trying to figure out what it was.

Then her eyes fell upon the small mark beneath her purple left eye, some kind of beauty or birth mark that gave Merida a strange sense of deja vu.

Where had she seen that mark before...?

There was a sudden banging sound, and the Guardians jumped in surprise, reaching for their weapons and staring intently up at the window. Then, with a sound of chains rattling furiously, the door barreled downward lightning-fast, making a bridge above the moat. The top the of door landed on the ground with enough force to make the entire place shudder, mere inches from Bunnymund's feet, making him pale slightly.

Toothiana came whizzing through the open doorway, her arms crossed and her mouth turned up into a smirk as Bunnymund gaped in shock and North let out a low impressed whistle.

"It took me a moment to figure out how to get it open," she told them sheepishly, holding up a lever that had obviously been forcefully torn from its original setting, "But I figured it out."

Merida sighed in relief along with the mini fairies, temporarily forgetting the mark.

"Alright," Jack said, stepping forward, "Guess we should, uh... go inside."

The look on his face as he said this was matched by everybody else's as they gazed reluctantly through the dark doorway of the castle that loomed ominously in the now pitch-black sky.

The torches that lined the walls were lit.

"Those weren't lit a... a second ago," Tooth said softly, watching the walls flicker with the fire, before looking over at North.

"Maybe we _should_ come back in August," Merida muttered.

North watched the doorway as well, his body tensed but his eyes calm. "She's expecting us," he said quietly, before gesturing for everybody to follow him.

Slowly, they all made their way across the drawbridge.

Merida usually had no problem with heights, but when she peered over the edge into the abyss that was the moat, her stomach wriggled slightly and she had to look away.

When they all made it to the doorway, she jumped at the crunching sound beneath one of her leather boots, and looked down to see that the entire floor of the enormous entrance hall was coated in what looked like...

"Animals," Rapunzel whispered beside her, before letting out a small whimper and closing her eyes, "These are animal bones."

Rapunzel loved animals; That much had been evident to Merida since the day they first met. Being a hunter, Merida was used to the deaths of animals, but this...

This was horrible.

There wasn't a single spot of floor that didn't have the smooth white remains of what were once living creatures.

From the way they looked, the spotlessness of each bone, it seemed to be implied that somebody had been feeding on these animals... _Raw _and _alive._

The fairy in her hand let out a small whimper that matched Rapunzel's, and she held the fairy tighter and reached out with her free hand to take Rapunzel's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Just don' look down."

The Guardians walked on in silence, trying to ignore the loud crunching beneath their feet. North, Bunny, and Tooth took the lead.

Merida found herself expertly naming each object her eyes fell upon in her head. _Deer skull, owl beak, mouse skeleton..._

They came to a swooping staircase, which was untouched by the flickering of the lanterns and the beams of the moon that shone through the window by the entrance.

"Should we... should we go up?" Hiccup asked from beside her, looking up the stairs into the darkness beyond wearily.

"Um...Yes," North replied, though he looked just as uncertain.

Hesitantly, they began to climb.

Merida suddenly felt incredibly nervous, afraid of what they'd find once they'd reach the top, and she was certain that if she didn't have Tooth to follow behind or Rapunzel to clutch her hand or the fairies to flutter silently beside her, she'd probably lose her footing and fall over.

The stairs went on and on, obviously leading to a tower of some sort, and Merida felt more and more anxious.

_Rowena could be anywhere._

This thought struck her like a punch in the gut, and she felt a sudden intense pang of fear. It was quiet. _It was so quiet._ As a hunter, she was often this quiet when attempting to shoot a deer.

At that moment, she _felt_ like a deer.

She felt like she was being watched. Like she was being hunted. Like an arrow was being aimed at her vulnerable head at that very moment.

Like she was walking right into a...

"It's a trap," she breathed quietly, stopping where she stood. Then louder, "It's a trap!"

Her shout echoed across the walls, and was followed by a shrieking laughter that filled the entire staircase and ricocheted off the stone walls as a blinding crimson glow began to shine behind her.

* * *

**Hiccup**

He walked beside North up front, looking anywhere but at the bone-covered stairs beneath him, until they set foot upon level floor.

He looked around curiously to see an enormous tower room, the ceiling seemingly miles above him and adorned with a massive chandelier coated in a thick layer of dust. There was a large window on the wall to their left, where the silver moonlight spilled through it like liquid. The pile of bones up here was nearly ankle deep.

"I don't see any other stairs or doors," Hiccup whispered to North, "Where exactly do we-?"

"_It's a trap!"_

Hiccup, North, and Bunnymund, who had already made it to the top of the steps, turned sharply at Merida's shout, before flinching at the shrieking cackle that drifted up to them and pierced their ears.

The three hastily stepped aside, allowing Toothiana, Jack, the fairies, Rapunzel, and Merida to sprint up off of the stairs and stand back as something zoomed past them, theatrically soaring up to the ceiling and diving back down, coming to a hovering halt right in front of Hiccup.

He cringed at the horrible face that was mere inches from his own; A bulbous nose covered in sickly warts, a thin-lipped gaping hole of a mouth full of jagged yellowed teeth, rough ebony hair that reached the hem of her thick black cloak, and pulsing crimson eyes that bulged from her green face and examined Hiccup's face with glee.

"Ooh, the new Autumn Guardian, how _exciting,"_ she exclaimed in a shrill voice that was painful to the ears, "Shrimpy little thing, aren't you? Unarmed, I see. Got something up your sleeve? Let's see what you got."

She laughed, and shot into the sky, touching the ceiling once more on her bewitched broomstick.

"_Samhain!_" North bellowed, his hands reaching for the swords at his back.

"Now, now, Santy Claus," she giggled, hovering in the air fifty feet above them, "Don't make me kill you yet! I'm in the mood for a pinch of trickery!"

Hundreds of creatures suddenly burst through the stairway behind them, shapeless and feathery, transparent white with long gaping mouths and bottomless black eyes. They drifted into the room, and the Guardians instinctively seized their weapons.

They were ghosts.

Stereotypical ones that howled and moaned, but when one brushed against Hiccup's skin, he gasped and pulled up his sleeve to find a tender rash-like patch of pink on his forearm.

When they touched you, they burned you.

They were surprisingly easy to destroy. A mere slash with a sword or a staff, or an arrow or boomerang, or even hair immediately split them into nothing.

But killing them wasn't the problem. It was killing them fast enough.

"Alright girls," Toothiana exclaimed, standing regally before her fairies, "Show her how _real _ladies fight!"

Hiccup was right to be uneasy around these seemingly adorable tooth fairy creatures; They whizzed around the room, stabbing ghosts with their sharp hummingbird beaks and managing to destroy a fair share of the ghost creatures.

But not enough.

There were so many of them. They filled the room faster than they could be killed, leaving strange stinging rashes on any flesh it touched, exposed or not.

The Guardians were surrounded.

As Rowena cackled from the balcony she stood on near the ceiling, watching the Guardians struggle against the rising number of ghost-creatures, Hiccup figured now was the time to do what he and Tooth had planned the night before.

He brought two fingers to his lips and blew as hard as he could.

When his whistle rang through the tower and echoed off the walls, everyone ceased their fighting, spirits and ghosts alike, and stared at him.

For a moment, everything was silent.

Then there was a deafening roar from somewhere outside the tower, and everybody turned to the enormous window on the left wall to see the glass of it shatter and fall to the floor as Toothless charged through it, beating his wings furiously.

Riding on his back was Sandy, who hopped up and down and waved gleefully to the Guardians below.

Toothless swooped down to the ground in front of Hiccup, and Sandy dismounted, giving Hiccup a smiling salute before dashing into the raging battle against the steadily growing numbers of ghosts. Glowing whips of sand swirled throughout the room.

"Alright, Toothless," Hiccup said, taking Sandy's place on top of the dragon, "Let's go."

The ghosts had no effect on Toothless' thick leathery scales, but they still seemed to annoy him, and he thrashed his head and bat his wings and swung his tail, evaporating two dozen at once, clearing the room and giving the other Guardians the space to move again.

"Look how many you got!" Hiccup called, grinning at the meager number of remaining ghosts, "We might actually have a chance in winning thi-"

He was suddenly thrown backwards off of Toothless, who continued to fly forward, not noticing that his owner no longer rode him.

Hiccup sailed backward through the air for a moment longer, before his back slammed into the stone wall beside the window, knocking the air out of him.

"Wha...?" he gasped, looking down and realizing that he was being held twenty feet in the air without anything holding him up.

Then Rowena was hovering in front of him, one of her hands held up with her palm facing him, keeping him against the wall with her magic.

There was a terrible glint in her crimson eyes, and her grin had vanished.

Toothless, who was across the room and had finally noticed Hiccup's abense, let out an angry growl and shot towards Rowena.

She sighed, and flicked her other hand at him. His wings suddenly seized, his eyes widening in shock, and he fell to the ground, causing the Guardians on the floor to scatter in the effort to avoid being crushed by an enormous paralyzed dragon.

Throughout all the chaos, none of them noticed Hiccup being held against the wall twenty feet above them.

"I knew you'd be a problem," Rowena hissed, moving closer to him so that her mouth was inches from his ear, "And not just to me. You're a problem to _them_."

She gestured to the ground, where the Guardians were struggling with the ghosts once more without the aid of Toothless.

"They don't need you," she whispered to him, "You're a burden. A mistake."

He shook his head, looking away from the Guardians and glaring at her. "I know what you're doing," he snapped, "The whole cliché villain speech. I'm not buying it."

She raised a thick black eyebrow. "Oh?" she said softly, "Why did they ask you to bring the dragon?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he replied, still glaring, "Look what he did to your ghost things. He just knocked out thirty of them at once."

"It _is _obvious," she murmured, "That the dragon is of more use to the Guardians than you."

He opened his mouth, before closing it again. _I think a dragon's a pretty valid addition to the team._

Her mouth curved up into a grin as his face fell slightly. "They don't need you, Hiccup," she told him, "They need your _dragon, _not _you. You're_ too weak, too small, too _useless._ I laugh at the fact that you have been made my replacement. I may as well put you out of your misery," she reached into the pocket of her cloak, "and do those poor Guardians a favor."

His eyes widened in shock as she retrieved a dagger from her cloak, before closing tightly in pain as he felt a sharp pain in his ribcage, making his teeth grit and his body go rigid in pain.

She carelessly yanked the dagger from his skin and removed the spell that held him in the air, causing him to plummet, wounded and in terrible pain, twenty feet to the ground.

_"HICCUP!"_


	23. Chapter 23

23. **Rapunzel**

"Toothless," she breathed, running through the thick haze of ghosts to where the confused Night Fury had unpredictable dropped from the air like a stone, "What happened?"

"_Hiccup!"_

She turned when she heard Jack's shout, and saw him sprinting over to the far wall where the shattered window was. Somebody was rapidly falling from thin air, and her heart pounded in horror when she saw that it was Hiccup.

Jack caught him just in the nick of time.

Rapunzel sighed in relief, but her face fell when she realized that Hiccup was unconscious.

"You need to heal him!" Jack called, running back to her and ignoring the ghosts that glided over and hurt his skin, "He's been stabbed."

"Hiccup," she whispered as Jack set him on the ground in front of her and crouched over him to shield him from the ghosts, "You'll be alright."

His eyelids were fluttering, his teeth grit in pain, and she bent over him, finding the wound easily. It was in his side, and it was deep. Blood oozed onto his green shirt, and she clutched her hair in her hands, placing it over the gash.

_It's just a l-little cut._

_S_he started to sing. Through her closed eyelids, she saw the gold glow of her own hair, but what she didn't see was Hiccup's face go slack as the pain ebbed, or Jack's look of amazement, or the fact that any ghost that got too close to her glowiness immediately disintegrated.

Once she'd finished the incantation, she opened her eyes and looked down at Hiccup, who was sitting up now and looking down at his side. The glowing ceased, and she removed her hair to show clear skin through the tear in the blood-stained fabric of his shirt.

"Is he alrigh'?" Merida asked anxiously from beside her, making her jump.

Hiccup nodded, his face flushing slightly when Merida grasped his hand, and he smiled up at Rapunzel.. "Yeah. I'm fine. Thank you." He raised an eyebrow and looked around incredulously when he saw all the other Guardians standing around them. "Where'd those ghost things go?"

"Vanished," North replied, "I don't know why. Rowena must have dismissed them."

They all jumped when Rowena's voice rang through the tower.

"Well this _is _interesting, isn't it?"

The Guardians gasped when wooden bars suddenly erupted from the floor, enclosing them in cages that floated into the air and hovered ten feet above the ground. The bars were so thick, not even North's sword could chop through them. They were all trapped.

All except Rapunzel.

She fell backwards, supporting herself with her hands, as Rowena descended from her balcony and stood before her.

"Stand up, my dear, stand up," she said, in a voice considerably softer than usual, "You have nothing to fear."

Hesitantly, Rapunzel got to her feet, narrowing her eyes and standing tall to keep her knees from wobbling. Careful not to let her eyes waver under Rowena's wild crimson ones, she spoke in a voice far stronger than she felt; "Release my friends."

Rowena laughed, not a cackle, but a laugh, soft and light. "I will, dear," she practically cooed, "But I'm afraid there is something I must ask of you before I do."

Her eyes flickered to Rapunzel's hair, which trailed to the ground around them.

"Done," Rapunzel said without hesitation, ignoring the protests from the Guardians above, "You can have it." Her face suddenly fell when she remembered. "But... it can't be cut."

"Yes," Rowena sighed, walking behind her and examining her hair with interest, "It cannot. But I'm afraid I cannot let them go until I have it."

Rapunzel flinched as Rowena ran her bony fingers through her hair, hating the feeling of the sharp claw-like nails against her scalp.

"You're," she said slowly, realizing what her words meant, "You're asking me to … to..."

"Join me," Rowena whispered, stepping in front of Rapunzel once more, "And I'll release them."

Rapunzel bit her lip, looking up at the cages. All seven of the other Guardians were shaking their heads and urging her to refuse.

Rowena scowled up at them and flicked her wrist, and they were suddenly muted, their mouths clamping shut and their eyes widening in shock.

"I see," Rowena said, her eyes softening as she looked back at Rapunzel, "that you may need some... persuasion."

She waved her hand intricately through the air, performing some complicated spell.

"No!" Rapunzel shouted, expecting her to hurt one of the Guardians. She was surprised, however, when a small transparent tornado-like shape appeared before her, growing larger and larger in height until it was a few inches taller than Rapunzel.

"You see," Rowena whispered, standing behind Rapunzel and placing her hands on her shoulders, watching the silvery twister twirl, "I have magic beyond your wildest dreams and imaginations. Powers that defy the earth and the universe. However, what I don't seem to have," she ran her fingers through Rapunzel's hair once more, making her shudder in disgust, "Is the power to heal an injury within a mere matter of seconds, with something as simple as a little lullaby."

She paused as the tornado froze in place and started to take the shape of a person. Limbs and a head, transparent and unidentifiable, began to form.

"What I _do _have," Rowena continued, her voice softer still, "is the power to bring those who have long passed... to life. The spell is difficult and it takes a few weeks, yes. But it can be done."

Rapunzel's eyes widened as details formed on the transparent figure. The clothing, not from this time; A doublet and trousers and boots, clothes with a style she hadn't seen on people since she rose from the ground centuries ago.

Next came facial features. Hair, nose, mouth, _eyes... _

She knew those eyes.

They were the eyes of Eugene Fitzherbert.

"Just imagine," Rowena murmured, "having the real thing. Not this shadow, this illusion that I show you, but the real solid form of him, _alive." _Her next words were a soft whisper right in her ear. "I can make that possible."

Rapunzel couldn't breathe. She stared straight ahead, and he looked straight back, his eyes see-through but melancholy, looking at her in a pleading way.

He lifted his hand, reaching out to her.

Almost instinctively, she reached out too, her fingertips mere centimeters from his own.

"RAPUNZEL, NO!"

There was a shattering sound, and chips of ice fell to her feet.

She quickly withdrew her hand and looked up to see Jack's cage missing a bar, and he was freezing another with his hand before shattering it with his staff. Another shower of ice chips fell to the ground.

The shadow of Eugene disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Rowena looked up as well, her wide eyes dilating with wrath and her teeth tightly grit. She snarled in rage, eyes blazing like fire, and she flicked her wrist sharply.

"Eat fire, Frost!"

And then Jack's cage burst into flames.


	24. Chapter 24

24. **Jack**

He was trapped within the flames.

Smoke crept into his mouth and coated his throat, and he gripped the bars of the cage, his teeth grit and his eyes squeezed shut. He only needed to shatter one more bar and he'd be free from the tongues of fire that devoured his entire body.

But his power was fading; He couldn't summon the strength to freeze another bar.

His staff fell to the floor of the cage with a clatter and was swallowed by the flames, and he fell to his knees and cried out in pain as the flames covered him from head to toe.

"Jack!" he heard a voice call, but he was already fading. The frost that usual adorned his flesh and clothes evaporated within seconds. His body was rapidly dehydrating and his skin was gradually darkening and turning to black in several places. He coughed violently, a mixture of soot and smoke pluming out of his mouth, and he fell to the ground.

_This is how I'm going to die. _

The last things he remembered before he gave in to the haze of pain was the violent sound of ripping wood, and then two enormous green reptilian eyes staring down at him, and then a furry hand reached through the fire and grabbed the back of his hood, yanking him from the flames and into the cool air that just wasn't cool enough for him.

"I gotcha, mate."

Then Jack Frost fell into the gaping black hole of a coma.

* * *

_You don't have to be alone, Jack._

He stirred, grimacing at the wave of pain his movement brought.

_Look what we can do!_

"Oh my... Is he movin'? He's movin'!"

_What goes better than cold and dark?_

He gasped, his eyes snapping open and his bones jolting, causing him to bolt up into a sitting position. This action made him groan as his body reacted with yet another wave of unbearable pain, and he looked down at himself, his eyes widening at what he saw.

He was outside, on a mattress that had been placed in the snow at a place he recognized immediately; The North Pole. He wore only his brown pants and a thick cloth bandage wrapped tightly around his stomach. With shaking fingers, he touched the clean gauzy fabric and wondered, a pang of fear in his chest, what kind of terrible wound was beneath it. Several patches of various colors marked the ivory skin of his arms, chest, and face, varying from light pink to angry red to smoky black;

"Jack?"

Panicked, he ran his fingers through his hair, which still seemed to be intact, and looked over at whoever had spoken to him.

Merida sat in a chair beside him, looking at him with giant eyes. The snow that fell from the sky instantly melted the moment it touched her skin and hair. "You're awake," she breathed, stumbling as she got to her feet and knocking the chair onto its back into the snow, "He's awake!"

He turned to see Hiccup sitting on a table to his left, looking at him with wide eyes.

"I have to go get North," Merida told him, before turning to Hiccup, "I'll be righ' back, don' let him hurt himself."

And she sprinted towards the workshop, who's windows glittered gold through the dark Winter sky only a couple dozen yards away. A trail of melted snow was left in her wake.

Dazed, Jack watched after her, a bit overwhelmed at her reaction, before turning to Hiccup, who was still staring at him as though he had grown another head.

"How long have I been out?" he asked, wincing at the sharp pain in his throat and the strange rasp of his voice.

"Er..." Hiccup looked down, scratching his arm distractedly, "A week."

"A _week?"_

"Or two..."

Jack stared at him, incredulous, eying the pink patches of skin that dotted his face and neck, the strange burns from the ghosts.

"How did you... how did they... how did we get out?"

Hiccup swallowed, looking incredibly uncomfortable. "It wasn't easy," he mumbled, "Right after your, uh, cage caught fire, Rapunzel sorta... lost it." He peeked up at Jack for his reaction.

"What do you mean 'lost it?'" Jack asked, placing his feet in the snow and attempting to stand, "Is she okay?"

"No, no, no, don't do that!" Hiccup said hastily as Jack managed to stand up, before his legs gave beneath him and he fell into the snow, "I'll tell you, okay? Just don't strain too much."

Grimacing, Jack pulled himself up into the chair Merida had occupied earlier and looked at Hiccup expectantly, crossing his arms.

Hiccup sighed. "After the, uh, fire thing," he began, averting his eyes once more, "Rapunzel kinds... snapped, I guess? She looked at Rowena and her eyes were like... _blazing_. I think it freaked Rowena out as much as it freaked the rest of us out. She was kinda caught off guard." He paused to kick the snow with the toe of his boot, looking more uncomfortable still. "She- her hands they- something shot out of her palms, something gold and glowing, and it hit Rowena and knocked her to the ground, and the entire castle shook like an earthquake, and then my cage suddenly fell to the ground and shattered. So I got Toothless and he started breaking open the cages and freeing everyone, and when I went back down to get Rapunzel she had collapsed and she was unconscious and..."

He sucked in a deep breath. He had said all of this very fast, Jack having to struggle to catch each word, and now he looked exhausted.

"She's alright now," he said quietly, "She woke up almost the second we got to the workshop. It was a real close call, Rowena got back on her feet just as I was getting Rapunzel, we literally had to race her out of the place. Luckily North has this weird snowglobe thing so we got us, the sleigh, and Toothless out before anything else could happen."

As Hiccup was finishing the story, there was suddenly very happy, booming laughter ringing throughout the entire Pole.

"Jack!" North called, and the two boys turned to see him tromping over to them, an enormous grin on his face, "Finally you have woken up!"

Toothiana followed behind him, an eager look of hope on her face, while a dozen of her fairies came flitting over to Jack, crowding around him and squeaking excitedly, covering his face in tiny hummingbird kisses.

"Girls, watch his burns," Toothiana called, though she herself seemed to be fighting the urge to attack him in one of her bone-crushing hugs. "Oh Jack, we were so worried. Rapunzel's hair, it wouldn't work on your burns, so we've all been panicking. We thought you weren't going to..." She cleared her throat. "Sandy hasn't slept in days, and Bunny's so on edge, and-" She paused when one of the brilliant blue feathers that adorned her wrists fluttered to the ground, landing gently in the snow. Blushing furiously, she bent to retrieve it. "I've, uh, been a bit stressed myself," she mumbled.

Just then, the door to the workshop burst open once more, and out came a grinning Merida, a bouncing Sandy, and an 'I'm-pretending-I-don't-care' Bunnymund, whose arms were crossed and whose whiskers were twitching in a way that implied he was trying very hard not to let any emotion show on his face.

"You irritate me so much, you make me want to pull literally all of my hair out sometimes," he muttered indifferently to Jack, before his eyes dropped to the ground, "But, um, don't go and die on me like that again, kay mate?"

Jack felt his mouth curve up into a smile as he looked at each and every Guardian that stood before him. _Was this what having a family felt like? People having... concern? Sympathy? Care?_

The door opened one last time, and out came Baby Tooth, a large grin on her petite face as she held Rapunzel by the index finger, yanking her outside with surprising strength that made her stumble over her own feet. Her hair was tied back, no longer trailing to the floor, in a thick braid that cascaded over her shoulder and ended at her ankles. Lavender circles were visible beneath her wide green eyes, as though she hadn't slept in a while.

"Okay Baby Tooth, I'm coming, I- _Jack!"_

Her face broke into an enormous smile, and now it was Baby Tooth that was being pulled forward.

She froze in front of him, her eyes scanning his face, the way he clutched his bandaged side, the way his joyful smile was genuine but pained. She knew touching him in any way would undoubtedly hurt him even more than he already was, especially with her unusually warm skin.

"I'm- I'm so sorry," she said softly, looking at the ground, "I tried to heal you, I must have tried a hundred times out of desperation, but it just didn't... wouldn't..."

"It's not your fault," he said immediately, wanting that sad look to leave her face, "From what I heard, you're the reason I'm still alive."

"She's the reason _any_of us are alive," North corrected, looking at Rapunzel with fondness. His next words were directed at Jack, a hint of seriousness in his voice. "It's best you remain outside. Anything warmer than freezing will probably knock you out, and we don't want that again, eh?" His eyes twinkled brightly and he placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "I am glad you are okay, Jack. Your burns should heal in time, most wounds do for us, but until then you stay here. Now, you rest."

He turned to the others, who were shivering now in the cold. "You'd all best come inside, give him space, alright?

Jack had a million questions he wanted answered, but North was certainly right about him needing rest; He'd been unconscious for two weeks and yet fatigue suddenly hit him like a train.

The Guardians gave Jack a smile before heading inside, but Rapunzel hesitated.

"You can go on," he assured her, as she bit her lip and looked at him with concern, "I'm fine, really. I feel better already, look I can sorta stand up and stuff."

Bracing himself, he attempted to leave the chair and get to his feet. It hurt something terrible, but he managed to take a single step before falling into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. "See?" he told her once he'd caught his breath, "That's called progress."

She laughed, a nervous yet genuine sound, and hesitated a moment longer. "I'll come back at sunrise, alright?" she promised him, and after another moment of looking uncertain, she turned towards the workshop.

He watched the door close, and sighed, leaning back against the pillow and looking over at the table to his side to see Hiccup still sitting on the far edge of it, a paintbrush in one hand and a leaf in the other, painting the leaf a color that was suspiciously identical to the color of Merida's hair.

"Aren't you going with them?" Jack asked, watching him paint with utter concentration in his moss-colored eyes, "I mean, you have to be freezing right now, right?"

Hiccup shrugged. "The Winters back in Berk were pretty severe," he said casually, wiping his own cheek and leaving a streak of red, "And I haven't got anything better to do. North's called off all training until further notice. And I figured you probably have a lot of questions after being out for two weeks. I mean, I would."

Jack nodded gratefully. "I do, actually," he said, though only one single question raced through his mind, the same question that he didn't know was actually going through _all _of the Guardians heads at that moment, "...What now?"

Hiccup sighed, setting the leaf aside. "I don't know," he mumbled, looking at the ground, "I mean, we still have two weeks before the 31st, and that's supposedly when Rowena 'rises to power' or whatever. I don't think North knows what to do with us, he's been keeping us here since we left the castle; I don't think he wants any of us separated or out of his sight." He paused, looking up at Jack. "I think he's scared. For him, for us, for the kids. I mean, what will they do without the Easter Bunny, or the Sandman, or Santa Claus...?"

He trailed off, looking down at his hands. "Tooth told me about Pitch, and how he tried to make people stop believing in you guys, but at least you'd still _be _here. I think Rowena just wants you guys – _us_ – gone for good."

It took a moment for Jack to figure out what to say to this, but just as he was opening his mouth, the door to the workshop opened, spilling its light across the show, and Merida came trotting out, Baby Tooth snuggled up in her hand.

"You got somethin,'" she said to Hiccup, gesturing to the red paint on his cheek, which quickly blended in with the rest of his face as blush crept over his skin. She held out a glass of water to Jack "An' North wanted me to bring you this. It has ice," She looked down at the cup as she handed it to him "Well it _had _ice, anyways." She sat on the table beside Hiccup. "What are you two talkin' about?"

Jack stared at her incredulously. "Aren't _you _freezing? Am _I _the only one that can't handle every climate?"

Merida laughed at this. "I wouldn' call burnin' alive a climate," she said, "But I guess there's a difference between puttin' a block of ice in the desert and startin' a fire in the tundra. I don' mind the cold, somehow my body keeps me warm." She shrugged while he grumbled irritably. He could hardly handle being near the humid rainforests by Tooth's palace, and yet here was a Summer spirit sitting comfortably in the North Pole.

The door opened yet again, and this time it was Rapunzel who came out, a thick white shawl drawn over her shoulders. "Okay, I know I said sunrise, but I-" she paused when she saw Merida and Hiccup, her face turning up into a grin, "Oh good, I'm not the only one bothering him."

"We're not _bothering _him," Hiccup replied, still rubbing furiously at the paint on his cheek, before turning to Jack, "Er, are we bothering you?"

"No, you're not bothering me," Jack laughed as Rapunzel sat at the foot of the bed, clutching the shawl tighter around herself

His smile faded when he saw that she was staring at the ground, something obviously on her mind.

"Jack," she said quietly after a moment, "The reason I came out here is that... um..." She sighed as words seemed to fail her, placing her face in her hands.

He stared at her, puzzled, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Hiccup and Merida exchange knowing looks.

"We got you out in time," she continued, her voice muffled by her hands, "But we didn't get _it _out in time."

He continued to look at her, with her head ducked and her entire face covered, trying to make sense of her words. "I don't- Get what out?"

Rapunzel uncovered her face, revealing sparkling frozen tears on her cheeks. "Your.. um, your..."

She continued to struggle with her words, and, as he always did when he was worried or anxious, he instinctively reached for his staff, only to have his hand close around nothing but air.

And then he understood.

"Oh no..."

He couldn't keep in the groan as he buried his face into his hands, overwhelming dread filling him from head to toe, "No, no, no, please tell me you're kidding..."

Nobody answered him. He suddenly felt the urge to curl up into a little ball and float away like the snow around him. He balled his hands into fists and pressed them against his closed eyes, wanting everything to go away for a while. _His weapon, his control, his only real possession..._

Gone.

The sudden tickling sensation of a tiny feathered body against his cheek made him open his eyes and see two large different-colored ones staring back at him. Baby Tooth whimpered softly, her tiny hand reaching out and brushing the skin just beneath his left eye, which was slightly damp.

"Where is it now?" he asked quietly, placing a hand over Baby Tooth as she cuddled closer to his face.

"North's office," Hiccup replied, looking at the ground once more, "It's burnt up real bad, covered in soot and char and stuff. He's... he's doing what he can with it."

But his tone implied that there was very little hope in the matter.

Jack covered his eyes once more, before feeling a hand cover the one that held Baby Tooth. He peeked through his fingers, and there was Rapunzel, looking down at him. "Jack," she said firmly, "I promise you, I'll do everything I can to get this problem fixed, okay?"

Before he could respond, Merida hopped up off the table and walked over to them.. "Me too," she said determinately, placing her hand over Rapunzel's.

"Me too," Hiccup piped up, placing his hand over Merida's, (He didn't notice her cheeks go slightly pink,) "We'll get this figured out."

Jack stared at them, the three hands placed over his, and could not find the words to express the overwhelming emotion that clouded his thoughts. "Th-thatnks guys."

_They care about you._

"Hiccup..." Merida said suddenly, looking at him standing beside her, "Weren't... weren't you a blacksmith?"

The other three watched as Hiccup's mouth turned up into a confident smile. "Yeah, I was..."


	25. Chapter 25

25.**Rowena**

"THOSE LITTLE BRATS!"

She slammed her fist against the desk, the unsteady wood wobbling beneath her skin. "How could I have let them... I don't understand... They're just too..."

"_Clever," _a voice whispered from within the cauldron that bubbled quietly beside her.

She whirled around to face it, her teeth grit. "No," she snapped, _"__I'm _the clever one. Not _those _annoying snot-faced little-"

"Some of them are far beyond your years," the cauldron whispered, "I imagine they'd deserve a bit more respect. You must remember that they have powers too."

"Powers?" she repeated with a bitter laugh, pacing back and forth restlessly. "Don't you talk to me about _power. _It was _I _who destroyed that dear stupid village of Nicholas.' It was _I _who killed the 'ever-so-strong' Ombric and Katherine and that utter pest Nightlight.. And it was _I _who set those Nightmares upon-"

"I know the story, you foolish girl," the cauldron said quietly, "Repeating your accomplishments for the hundredth time will not change the fact that the Guardians _did _defeat you."

Rowena sighed, ceasing her pacing and sitting in the rickety chair before the cauldron. "And now they have these new four," she muttered with disgust, "Prepubescent bits of rubbish, that's what they are. I mean, the dragon whisperer couldn't be any older than fifteen."

"Age does not measure strength," the cauldron said, "Do remember Toothiana's youth, and the fact that she managed to throw you into the-"

"_I know what she did!" _Rowena snarled, swiping her arm over the desk in front of her and knocking all of its contents onto the floor, "You don't have to remind me, I've had a dozen centuries to think about it."

She looked up at the window above the desk, where the moon glimmered through the grimy glass. "You silly old man. Whatever power you have given these... these... _children," _She spat out this last word as though it left a terrible taste in her mouth, "I will match it, times a thousand."

"Now, how do you plan on doing that," the cauldron said, a hint of skepticism in its raspy voice, "after the extraordinary power that the seemingly tame golden-haired one showed two weeks ago?"

Rowena scowled. "What I'd give for her power," she muttered bitterly, "That hair of hers heals within seconds. I nearly had her with that bribe of mine, if it weren't for that infuriating Frost boy."

She balled her hands into fists, pressing them to her closed eyes in irritation. "I am confident," she hissed through clenched teeth, "that I will defeat them."

"You underestimate them," the cauldron said, its voice softer and quieter than ever before.

"You underestimate _me," _Rowena shot back.

She gasped when a book, one of the ones she had angrily knocked to the floor, came floating up to her, landing in her lap and flipping open to a yellowed page near the center.

"You cannot do this on your own," the cauldron told her.

"_A Spell to Free the Trapped?_" Rowena read curiously, looking back at the cauldron in confusion, "A simple spell, but it takes three days. But what good would it do? I don't know anybody who's trapped..."

"Oh, but you do..." the cauldron replied, its voice suddenly distorting and lowering a few octaves, "A dear friend of yours. One whom you have not seen in a very, very long time."

A figure appeared upon the surface of the contents of the cauldron, a figure of a person Rowena recognized.

"Ah," she whispered, an enormous grin spreading on her hideous face as she gazed knowingly at the familiar silhouette, "A dear old friend of mine indeed."

The castle rang with her shrieking laughter.


	26. Chapter 26

26. **Merida**

She walked silently through the dark corridor, Baby Tooth fluttering close beside her with a miniature lantern clutched tightly in her tiny fist, and the two examined the shelves of teeth closely in the limited light.

For the two weeks after the battle that she had had to stay at North's workshop, Merida had one thing clouding her mind and interfering with her dreams, and for once it wasn't Rowena.

It was memories.

Viewing Jack's sister's memories had sparked something within her mind. How vivid it had all been, how realistic, how she had actually _thought _for that _split second _as Jack fell through the ice that _she was actually losing a brother._

Surely viewing her own memories would be just as vivid.

The thought of seeing her family again, of being a child again, of being _alive _again, even if it was just for a short while, was simply too tempting to ignore.

So when the morning after Jack woke up, Toothiana demanded North to allow her to go back to her palace (Where the fairies needed her and there were teeth to be sorted) Merida immediately stepped forward and volunteered to help..

Reluctant but understanding, North told them they could leave, but to be very very careful and check in once every day. Then Bunnymund told Merida he'd get her the next morning, and she was free to go.

And just like that, Merida, Hiccup, and Tooth were sent through one of Bunny's tunnels, and stood seconds later blinking in the blinding morning sun that reflected off of the palace.

"Ah, home," Toothiana had breathed, dramatically throwing open the front doors and giggling as a swarm of fairies crowded around her, squealing happily and pecking lovingly at her cheeks, "The North Pole is beautiful and everything, but I was missing my rainforest."

She had sighed happily, before turning to Hiccup and Merida. "Okay, there's a bunch of new arrivals on the top floor," she had told them, as her fairies started ushering her away, practically carrying her down the main hall, "Er, apparently I've got a whole bunch to do. Hiccup, if you could bring her to it?"

Merida had spent the entire morning and most of the afternoon sorting through teeth with the help of Baby Tooth, placing each one in the correct place within the correct box and onto the correct shelf. It was a time-consuming job, but she didn't mind; She had grown to like Toothiana a lot, and was more than happy to help.

Now, hours later, it was nearly midnight, the moon beaming through the large windows as she ventured further down the aisles, going farther back in time to where, somewhere, her teeth lay waiting for her to find them. As Baby Tooth strayed ahead of her, a mere bobbing light in the distance, Merida peeked anxiously up at the moon. She had a peculiar feeling that it – _he –_was watching her, and she ducked her head, feeling a bit guilty.

Was this technically a break-in?

_No,_she told herself firmly, as Baby Tooth swooped back and nudged her face, pointing at something in front of her.

She raised her head curiously and saw that they had reached a shelf labeled _1400s_.

"Alrigh,'" Merida whispered, feeling a bit nervous, "Let's see."

Pushing her hair from her face, she squinted through the darkness at each face drawn on each box, searching for her easily identifiable red curls and blue eyes.. The shelf was enormous, stretching endlessly across the wall so that she couldn't even see the end of it. There must have been the teeth of over a million children on this shelf.

Baby Tooth helped her, scanning the boxes with expert eyes, and ten minutes later she let out a soft squeak.

"Did ya find it?" Merida called quietly, running in the direction of the sound, and there was Baby Tooth at the very end, pointing eagerly at a box near the bottom.

It was hers.

Speechless, she reached out for it, careful not to touch the blue jewel on the side quite yet, and as she was pulling it out of the shelf, the one beside it came toppling to the ground.

"No!" she whispered, knowing that the loud clatter of the metal case would echo through the entire place and surely attract some attention. She hastily reached out with her free hand, and caught it just before it hit the floor.

But it almost slipped from her grasp, causing her to fumble, and this action caused her to, once again, have her skin brush against the jewel embedded in the side, and a blinding light surrounded her once more.

"_Again?" _she groaned, "How many times is this goin' to happen..."

Her eyes closed, and she wearily wondered what – _whose – _memory she'd be invading this time.

* * *

She was waiting for something.

She didn't know what for, but she was impatient, and annoyed, pacing on the tall grass beneath her feet, which was still damp from the raging storm that had unexpectedly appeared earlier that morning.

The scenery around her was strange, unlike anything Merida had ever seen before. Short squat buildings made of splintery wood surrounded her on the uneven land, and noticeably enormous people bustled busily around her.

She was in some sort of village.

She brushed her hair (_Was it blonde?) _out of her face, but it immediately fell back over her eye, and the sound of heavy thudding footsteps greeted her ears. She turned to see an enormous man, several times taller than herself, standing before her.

"There you are," she said sharply, in a voice and accent that was not her own, "Where is he?"

The man looked at her for a moment, hesitating.

His back was hunched, and the half of his face that wasn't weathered and coated in scars was covered by a straw-colored mustache that hung past his chin.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about him was the fact that two of his limbs were missing; His left arm and his right leg, replaced by a sturdy-looking stone hammer and a wooden peg. His attire was foreign to her as well, strange animal furs and skins for clothes and a large helmet that sat perched atop his head, with horns on either side of it.

Seeing her stern expression, he averted his eyes to the side and scratched the back of his neck. "L-look, lass," he began, his voice cracking slightly as he stumbled over his words, "Somethin'... somethin' happened this mornin'..."

She was, for some reason, unfazed by his words, merely waving her hand casually. "What, did he lose another leg?" she asked in a joking manner, grinning, "I don't think anything could have happened to him that he can't handle. I mean, he's a fighter, I think we've all established that.. How bad is it anyway, I mean, is it the usual klutzy stuff or-?"

"H-he's dead."

She froze, staring up at his face, which was now sparkling slightly with tears that fell into his bushy facial hair..

"He- what?"

He sighed, removing the strange hat from his head and holding to his chest in a gesture of mourning. "...Toothless, he... came back without 'im"

_Did he just say Toothless?_

"That doesn't mean he's _dead,_" she replied, a little louder than she meant to, and a few passerby stopped to stare, "He could just be, um, you know, he could just be..."

The man shook his head sadly. "You shoulda seen the look on tha' dragon's face," he said quietly, "It was a look of loss."

It felt like the blood was freezing inside her veins and her entire body was going numb. "No," she said quietly, shaking her head slowly at first, then rapidly, her eyes squeezing shut as denial flooded her mind, "No, he's not. He's not."

"Uh... lass?"

"_NO!" _she shouted, whirling on her heel and striking at the building beside her, leaving a dent in the wooden wall.

She hissed in pain, cradling her bruised knuckle in her other hand as she fell to her knees. "No... no, if that stupid idiot is d-dead I'll kill him. If he's dead, I'll..."

She broke off, burying her face into her hands as she did something she couldn't recall having ever done in her entire life; She cried.

The sobs crept up her throat like vomit, choking her and forcing tears from her eyes as she stared wide-eyed at the ground, pressing her hands firmly to her mouth in the attempt to quiet the strangled sound she was making. "He's not," she said in a muffled whisper, "He's not."

"Astrid..."

"No."

"Astrid, listen-"

"No!"

...

"_Merida?"_

* * *

"_No!"_she exclaimed, throwing the case away from her as though it had burned her skin.

She whirled around furiously, turning to see who had spoken to her, and bumped right into Hiccup, knocking the lantern he held to the ground and causing it to go out, before her knees buckled beneath her.

"Hey!" Two hands reached beneath her arms, clumsily supporting her weight as she went limp, "Merida, what-?"

Her hands still clutching her face, she sank to her knees, and he followed, holding her shoulders and giving her a brief shake to snap her out of it. "Merida!" he said loudly, "Merida, you're scaring me. Tell me what happened."

"No," she said quietly against her hands, shaking her head quickly enough to make her hair a blur of red, "No."

She suddenly leaned forward and buried her face into his shoulder, and he blinked, startled, before tentatively wrapping his arms around her, brushing her damp curls from her tear-soaked face. "Tell me, what did you see? It wasn't Jack again, was it?"

"Nuh uh," she said into his shoulder, her own shoulders convulsing with her sobs and her hand finding the spot on his side where, just a couple weeks ago, he had been bleeding severely, seconds from death.

Or a second death, anyways.

"It was y-you," she whispered.

He didn't say anything, instead reaching for the case that lay beside them, somehow still intact after being thrown. She closed her eyes, waiting for the anger, the sorrow, the offense, some kind of understandable reaction from him once he'd read the side.

Bur none of those happened.

Instead, he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away from him, so that he could look at her. She couldn't bring herself to look back at him, her eyes pointed to the ground like the eyes of an ashamed child. "Hiccup, I- I am so sorry, it was an accident, I-"

"Merida."

She forced herself to tear her vision away from the ground, her head still ducked, and peek up at him through the stray curls that had fallen in her face. "Yes?" she replied, hating how her voice rose an octave.

He looked at her for a moment, his green eyes anything but angry, and yet that somehow made it harder for her to keep eye contact. But she did, his gaze understanding and kind and somehow paralyzing her where she sat.

_What is this? Why is it suddenly so difficult to breathe?_

The tooth box in his hand slipped to the floor with a clatter, and with boldness even he wasn't aware he was capable of, he pulled her into a hug, the side of her face pressed against his chest and his chin resting in her hair.

"Aren' you mad at me?" she asked, surprised.

He shrugged. "Why would I be? It was an accident. It could have been any box, it just happened to be..." He trailed off, clearing his throat nervously.

The silence that followed his words brought up a new sound, a sound very close to her ear, a sound she didn't recognize at first.

_Tha-dum, tha-dum, tha-dum._

"Merida, wha-?" he asked, surprised as she shifted slightly, moving her ear over the left side of his chest.

"Shh."

It was a strange, ridiculous, impulsive thing that she was doing, but she had to be sure, she just _had to be sure._

_Tha-dum, tha-dum, tha-dum._

There it was.

_Tha-dum, tha-dum, tha-dum._

More real than any memory, more vivid than any dream, more alive than any thought.

A heartbeat. One that seemed to whisper to her:

_A-live, a-live, a-live._

"Alive," she said quietly, sighing in relief.

He looked down at her, incredulous and possibly concerned about her sanity. "What?"

She shook her head, rubbing the tears furiously from her eyes. "I think," she said after a moment, "I think I need to go to sleep."

* * *

Later on that night, when she was laying in one of the guest bedrooms of the palace staring up at the teal ceiling, Merida found herself wondering when exactly she'd started to feel something strange and fluttery in her stomach when she was around Hiccup Haddock.

_Well, you _did _just see his girlfriend's memories, _one half of her mind reasoned, while Baby Tooth emitted adorable soft snores from where she lay curled up in the space between Merida's neck and shoulder, _Of course you're feeling a little... strange. Her feelings became yours, and they lingered, and now you think they're yours. _

_But that's not when it started, _the other half of her brain argued, _It started back at the Pole with the other two, when he had put his hand over yours. _

Yes. That was just it. Just thinking about that moment made her cheeks flush as crimson as her hair.

"Am I _bluahin'?" _she whispered out loud, pinching the bridge of her nose irritably as her stomach and heart fluttered in unison, and she turned over, careful not to disturb Baby Tooth, and internally hated this foreign emotion that made her head spin, "What is happenin' to me? I mean, come one, h-he's awkward an' stuttery an' scrawny an'... an' strangely compassionate an' kind an'... an' he didn' even ask what I was doin' up in the tooth towers..."

Her already Summer-hot cheeks somehow raised a few more degrees, and she scowled, covering her face with the pillow so that her next words were muffled.

"Urgh," she groaned, "_What _is happenin' to me?"


End file.
